ISLAMABAD: The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on Thursday approved Rs60 billion in additional funding for Operation Azm-e-Istehkam with Rs20 billion to be immediately.
The ECC of the cabinet approved Rs20 billion as a special allocation for Operation Azm-e-Istehkam during the current fiscal year 2024-25, according to an official announcement by the Ministry of Finance.
The statement said that the remaining nearly Rs40 billion will be disbursed during the second half of the fiscal year and will be utilised for procurement of advanced military gadgets.
The ECC meeting was held here with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb in the chair, which also allowed the export of additional 100,000 metric tons of sugar.
On the occasion, the ECC members were briefed that in light of the June 2024 decision of the Federal Apex Committee to launch Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, the military has sought Rs60 billion in additional funds. The money is over and above the regular military budget and the government will issue an additional supplementary grant to the tune of Rs60 billion.
The government will immediately disburse the Rs20 billion while the remaining amount would be made available against the procurements.
Pakistan is passing through a difficult security phase and its forces are fighting with terrorists in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to flush out terrorism.
The ECC members were informed that the terrorists had access to better technology and weapons that were left behind by running US forces. In order to tackle this challenge, the military needed new hardware to fight the menace of terrorism. The government has immediately given Rs20 billion for capacity enhancement and the remaining Rs40 billion funds would be released as per the need.
