What happened
The National Assembly on Sunday unanimously approved 88 demands for grants, including more than 3.69 trillion rupees for the defence sector for the fiscal year 2026-27, as the opposition declined to move any cut motions.
According to the report, more than 298 billion rupees were set aside for defence affairs and over 109 billion rupees for development expenditure. The session, chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, also approved funds exceeding 125 billion rupees for communications, 192 billion rupees for education and more than 107 billion rupees for water resources. Allocations were approved for the Cabinet Secretariat, foreign affairs, national health, information technology, and industry and production, among other sectors.
The assembly also approved 111 billion rupees for railways and funding for ministries including human rights, religious affairs and parliamentary affairs. It approved 9 billion rupees for its own expenses and 3 billion rupees for the Senate. The report said the session approved 89 demands for grants covering 29 ministries and divisions.
Why it matters
The vote completes the legislature’s authorisation of spending for the coming fiscal year and clears the way for the federal government to release funds. The defence allocation is the single largest block in the budget and was passed without dissent, in contrast with the broader budget debate.
KhabarWire reported that the general discussion on the 2026-27 budget on 17 June focused on the cost of living, with opposition lawmakers pressing for salary increases and relief while the government defended the plan as the best available under difficult conditions. That debate had also highlighted disputes over taxation, including an International Monetary Fund objection to exempting school stationery from sales tax.
The approval came as Pakistan continued to manage the economic aftermath of the regional crisis and the US-Iran memorandum, which had driven swings in fuel prices and the stock market. The budget’s assumptions on revenue and growth will now face their first test in the new fiscal year.
What is still uncertain
The report did not set out a detailed breakdown of the defence allocation between personnel, procurement and operations, and did not say how much of the total is new spending as opposed to revised estimates. It also did not state when the finance bill’s other stages, including any amendments, would be taken up. The figures cited are those carried by the cited source.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 2026-06-21.
- Internews Pakistan — "National Assembly approves defense budget"21 June 2026 · The approval of 88 demands for grants, the Rs3.69 trillion defence allocation, the sector-wise figures, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq's session and the absence of opposition cut motions.
- KhabarWire — "Budget debate: government defends 2026-27 plan as opposition seeks relief"17 June 2026 · Background on the National Assembly's general discussion of the 2026-27 budget.
