Pakistan has decided to substantially hike its military spending in the wake of recent clashes with its archrival and nuclear-armed neighbor, India.

Islamabad raised next year's defense budget to 2.55 trillion Pakistani rupees ($9 billion), compared to 2.12 trillion in the fiscal year ending this month, marking a jump of roughly 20% year over year.

The announcement came as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government unveiled its annual federal budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year on Tuesday.

The surge in military spending came despite Pakistan battling weak finances and tremendous economic challenges.

In fact, the overall spending planned in the budget is down 7% to 17.57 trillion rupees ($62 billion).

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Pakistan and India recently witnessed a major flare-up in violence, the worst since the rivals' last open conflict in 1999, which sparked fears that it could spiral into a full-blown war.

It began after a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Pahalgam town — in India-administered Kashmir — on April 22, in........

© Deutsche Welle