Islamabad, Feb. 8 -- As Pakistan's economy falls deeper into dire straits, its debt servicing dwarfed both its defence and development spending in the first half of the current fiscal year, adding to the massive strain on Pakistan's already crumbling economy under the weight of the tight conditions imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as part of its ongoing fiscal programme.
According to official financial data, interest payments on the country's accumulated public debt absorbed over PKR3,563 billion (around $12.7 billion) between July and December of CFY26, making it more than twice the combined outlay on defence and development, with defence spending standing at PKR1,044 billion (about $3.7 billion) and allocations under the...