By Andrew Rose
America News World| November 20, 2025
ISLAMABAD – In a move that has sent shockwaves through both Islamabad and New Delhi, the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has quietly approved a supplementary defence allocation of **50 billion Pakistani rupees** (approximately $180 million USD) – the largest emergency military funding package in over a decade – as fears mount over a possible second phase of India’s secretive “Operation Sindoor.”
Multiple Pakistani and regional sources confirm that the funds were fast-tracked through the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, bypassing normal parliamentary scrutiny. The official justification: “urgent enhancement of security along international borders, protection of naval installations, and safeguarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).”
Breakdown of the Emergency Allocation
– **Pakistan Army (under Gen. Asim Munir)**: Expected to receive the lion’s share (~39 billion PKR)
Pakistan Navy
1 billion PKR (primarily for upgrading two strategic naval bases)
– **Special Security Division (protecting Chinese CPEC projects in Balochistan)**: Additional 19 billion PKR
Border fencing with Iran and Afghanistan**: 2 billion PKR
-Pakistan Air Force
(still reeling from heavy losses in the first phase of Operation Sindoor): A symbolic 150 million PKR only
This comes on top of the already record-high **2.55 trillion PKR** regular defence budget for FY 2025-26 and another **1 trillion PKR** earmarked for military pensions.
Why Now? The “Operation Sindoor 2.0” Factor
Indian military circles have been openly discussing a potential “Phase 2” of Operation Sindoor – the highly successful May 2025 Indian Navy and Air Force operation that reportedly crippled several Pakistani naval assets and exposed glaring weaknesses in Pakistan’s air defence network.
Pakistani military insiders admit privately that Army Chief General Asim Munir is “obsessed” with preventing a repeat humiliation, especially after Indian Navy warships reportedly operated with impunity in the Arabian Sea during the first phase. The new funding is widely seen as a direct reaction to intelligence reports suggesting India may be preparing a larger, multi-domain follow-up operation involving missile strikes, cyber attacks, and special forces raids on key CPEC nodes.
### Economic Pain vs. Military Pride
Pakistan’s economy remains on life support, with:
– Inflation hovering near 30%
– Foreign reserves barely covering two months of imports
– IMF bailout talks stalled over Islamabad’s inability to curb military spending
Yet the Shehbaz Sharif government, widely perceived as being under the thumb of Gen. Munir, chose to divert scarce resources to the military rather than debt repayment or poverty alleviation programs.
Critics inside Pakistan are already calling it “Asim Munir’s vanity budget,” arguing that the army chief is prioritizing personal prestige and institutional dominance over the survival of the state itself.
### Strategic Takeaway for the Region
The emergency allocation confirms what many analysts have warned for months: Pakistan’s military leadership is in a state of near-panic over India’s growing technological and operational superiority. The creation of a new “Rocket Force” under Munir’s direct control and now this massive cash injection signal that Islamabad is preparing for a high-intensity, possibly protracted conflict, even as its economy crumbles.
For India, the Pakistani move is being interpreted in South Block as both a provocation and a sign of weakness – proof that Operation Sindoor achieved its strategic objective of putting Pakistan’s military elite on the back foot.
As one senior Indian defence official told America News World on condition of anonymity:
“They are throwing money they don’t have at problems they can’t solve. Operation Sindoor showed the world who really dominates the Indian Ocean. If they force our hand again, Phase 2 will make the first one look like a rehearsal.”
The Indo-Pak frontier has rarely felt this tense since the 2019 Balakot crisis. With both sides now openly preparing for the next round, the question is no longer if, but when – and how devastating – the next escalation will
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