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Business Recorder
10-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Pakistan increases defence spending by 20% after recent clashes with India
Pakistan has allocated Rs2.56 trillion for its defence budget in the incoming fiscal year (FY26), a 20% increase from the proposed budget last year. The government proposed Rs2.13 trillion in FY25 budget, which was later revised to Rs2.19 trillion. When compared with the revised budget last year, the increase in the upcoming budget will stand at around 17%. The increase in budget spending comes at a time when tensions between neighbouring Pakistan and India remain high. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced Pakistan's federal budget 2025-26 'for a competitive economy' on Tuesday, targeting a modest 4.2% growth for the coming fiscal year, compared to 2.7% expected in the outgoing FY25. 'The country's defence is our top priority,' said Aurangzeb during his address, as he lauded the role of the country's leadership, especially the armed forces, for their role against recent clashes with India. Pakistan had allocated Rs2.12 trillion for defence in the FY 2024-25. Its defence budget was raised by 16.4% last year. The government, in recognition of services from the armed forces, also proposed to provide special allowances to the officers and soldiers of the armed forces. These expenses will be met from the defence budget for the fiscal year 2025-26. Addressing the federal cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Pakistan is now in a take-off position, and all economic indicators are satisfactory. 'After defeating India in a conventional war, now it has to surpass it in the economic field as well,' the PM said. 'If there is passion and desire, nothing is impossible; everyone will have to work together day and night to move forward,' he added. Earlier, Tola Associates, a tax advisory and consultancy firm, has proposed to raise the defence budget to Rs2.8 trillion, reflecting a 32% increase as compared to the last fiscal, 'due to the war situation with the neighbouring country and the new recruitment of army personnel'. Ties between Pakistan and India nosedived after a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) last month that New Delhi said was backed by Islamabad. Pakistan denied involvement, but intense fighting broke out when India struck what it said were 'terrorist camps' in Pakistan. They agreed on a ceasefire, which has largely held.
Business Recorder
24-05-2025
- Health
- Business Recorder
Obesity silently crushing Pakistan's economy, health experts say
ISLAMABAD: Obesity is silently crushing Pakistan's economy, costing the country an estimated $3.41 billion annually (over Rs950 billion) and threatening to double to $7.6 billion (Rs2.13 trillion) by 2030 if urgent measures are not taken, health experts warned on Saturday. Citing data from the World Obesity Federation (WOF) at an awareness session held at the National Press Club (NPC) Islamabad, senior endocrinologists and public health officials described obesity as both a national health emergency and a major economic liability. The experts said the financial toll stems from increased public and private healthcare expenditures, rising absenteeism, reduced workplace productivity, and premature deaths caused by obesity-related complications. The escalating burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular ailments, fatty liver, and kidney disorders — all linked to excess body weight — is draining vital national resources while shrinking the country's productive labour force. An alarming picture emerged from a free screening camp conducted at NPC in collaboration with Getz Pharma, where around 150 journalists and their family members were tested. More than 70 percent were found to be overweight or obese, while 25 percent showed signs of diabetes and elevated blood pressure. Experts termed these findings a wake-up call for all sectors of society, especially policymakers. Renowned endocrinologist Prof Rauf Niazi said 70 to 80 percent of Pakistanis, including children, now fall in the overweight or obese category. He blamed the crisis on the unchecked consumption of carbohydrate-laden diets, processed snacks, sugary drinks, and junk food, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. 'Obesity is not only making men impotent and women infertile due to PCOS, but is also the leading cause of early diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, and kidney damage through metabolic changes,' he warned. Prof Niazi further revealed that over 85 percent of the population may already be suffering from fatty liver disease — a dangerous, often unnoticed condition that disrupts cholesterol metabolism, triggers inflammation, and elevates cardiovascular risk. 'It's a time bomb. People remain unaware until it's too late,' he said, urging a return to simpler, healthier lifestyles. 'The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had a flat belly, ate less, walked regularly, swam, and exercised with Hazrat Ali. That's the example we need to follow,' he stressed. Dr Mumtaz Ali Khan, Chief of Communicable Disease Control at the National Institute of Health (NIH), said Pakistanis are aging at an accelerated rate due to obesity and poor lifestyle habits. 'Most individuals screened at NPC were biologically at least ten years older than their actual age. We're becoming an old, diseased nation far too early,' he said. As a paediatrician, he expressed grave concern over rising childhood obesity, pointing to screen addiction, processed food, and lack of physical activity. 'We mistakenly equate fat with healthy in children. That mindset is dangerous.' Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
