Looks like peace with India is going to cost job losses for 50,000 Pakistani army folks …
Pakistan says to cut army by 50,000
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan will cut the size of its army by 50,000 personnel as part of a restructuring plan to save money and make its forces leaner and more “hard-hitting”, a military statement said on Tuesday.
The decision to cut the size of the army, presently slightly above half a million troops, was discussed at a high-level meeting of top military officers chaired by President General Pervez Musharraf.
“This saving is being directed to enhance the combat efficiency of the army,” said the statement, issued at the end of two days of meetings. “However, this reduction in manpower will in no case affect the fighting potential of the army.”
The statement did not say when the reduction would take place, but top military spokesman Major General Shaukat Sultan said that it was an “ongoing” process.
The meeting also discussed the security situation, training and operational preparedness of the army in case of a threat, particularly from India, with which the country has fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
Although the nuclear-armed neighbours were on the brink of a fourth war in the summer of 2002, a peace process has begun and formal talks are planned in May or June.
The countries have agreed to discuss all of their disputes, including Kashmir, the trigger of two of their three wars.
Pakistan, which spends about four percent of its gross domestic product on defence, has in the past been urged by multilateral donors including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to cut down on its military expenditure.
Musharraf, a key ally of the United States in its “war on terror”, has promised to reform Pakistan’s economy and politics as well as crush Islamic extremism.
