Pak will not curtail India-specific defence allocations: Pak Army

Islamabad, June 8 (ANI): Pakistan has no intensions to curtail its India-specific defence budget, military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas has said.

Major General Abbas rejected some international appeals that suggested that Pakistan should cut down its India specific defence expenditures, and focus more on the 'war on terror'.

"f you are suggesting that we should take something out of here and put it in another box that would not be a wise strategy. War on terror does require resources, but it should not be at the cost of something else," The Dawn quoted Abbas, as saying.

Referring to the interim 35 per cent increase of about 26.5 billion dollars in India's defense budget this fiscal year, Abbas said India's defense budget clearly suggests that it is Pakistan specific, so Pakistan should also maintain a certain conventional parity with India.

"Take the example of India's offensive aircraft, take the example of AWACS, take the example of air-to-air refuelling system. Then tank division and mechanised forces and their latest offensive doctrine of cold start strategy. All these things are Pakistan specific," the ISPR Director General said.

Pakistan had originally allocated 297 billion rupees for defence, but raised it to 310 billion rupees in the last budget.

Sources said the defence allocations for the coming financial year might go up to 342 billion rupees. (ANI)