ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan Tuesday hiked defense spending by 20% following last month’s deadly conflict with India. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the increase as part of the budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, in which overall spending will be cut by 7% to 17.57 trillion rupees ($62 billion).

In the shadow of the recent India-Pakistan military clashes, defense spending has been increased by 20 percent since last year.

Defending the meteoric rise in defence budget, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said in the National Assembly in the most unambiguous words that the increase is necessary after 4-day skirmishes with India and terrorism in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.