Expenditure on Indian forces in IoK reaches Rs.24bn

ISLAMABAD: Expenditure on Indian forces in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK), barring army, has gone up to almost Rs 24 billion in the last fiscal from below Rs 700 million in 1989-90.

Indian Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Planning and Science and Technology, Ashwani Kumar, while talking to mediamen said, "The expenditure on Indian agencies has gone up to Rs 23.95 billion in 2010-11", Kashmir Media Service reported.

In 1989, they had 28,782 armed personnel and the wage bill was Rs 670 million only. Now the number of personnel has increased to 86,260 and the wage bill has gone to Rs 23.95 billion.

"One of the demands that has been made by the Chief Minister is that the expenditure on maintenance of forces has gone up manifold and that is causing unbearable financial problems", he maintained