The Pakistan Army is facing a food shortage in its messes due to the ongoing economic crisis in the country. This shortage has raised concerns among field commanders who have written letters to the Quarter Master General’s office, highlighting the cut in food supply to soldiers in all army messes.
Rising inflation and a cut in special funds have reportedly made it difficult for the army to provide soldiers with two proper meals a day. Top military commanders, including the QMG, CLS, and DG MO, have raised these concerns with Army Chief General Asim Munir and briefed him about the security situation and ongoing military operations in the country.
The army cannot afford more cuts in logistics and supplies that may halt its operations in border areas against militants, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). To address the economic crisis, Pakistan is preparing to implement several austerity measures, including cutting the salaries of government employees, reducing the number of foreign missions, and capping grants and secret service funds of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Intelligence Bureau (IB).
These measures may have severe impacts on the functioning of the government and its ability to provide essential services to its citizens. In addition, consumer prices have risen significantly in the outgoing week, driving weekly inflation to over 40% for the first time in over five months, as reported by the Dawn.
While week-on-week inflation eased slightly, it remained high as several essential items, including bananas, chicken, sugar, cooking oil, gas, and cigarettes, became costlier, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
