With the country in the grip of an economic crisis and increasing debt, the Pakistan Army has cancelled all scheduled military drills and war games until December of this year due to fuel scarcity. According to media reports, the Pakistan Army’s Director General of Military Training has issued a memo to all field formations and headquarters ordering the suspension of all war games until December.
Pakistan Army Calls Off Military Drills
The main explanation given is a lack of “reserve fuel” and critical lubricants. It is important to note that reserve fuel is not the same as war reserves in military terminology. While war reserves are often used for weaponry and fuel during specific periods of combat, reserve stockpiles are typically used for internal military exercises and war drills.
“A Pakistani T-80 tank uses two litres of fuel per kilometre.” That is why Pakistan has halted all armoured and mechanised drills, according to Colonel Danvir Singh (Retd) of the Indian Army, a well-known Delhi expert on Pakistan Army-related affairs.
Despite being removed from the FATF Grey List and receiving a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Pakistan still faces significant financial limitations. This economic uncertainty has been exacerbated by political unrest, especially as a result of the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on May 9.
Violent protests against high-ranking military officers, attacks on army sites such as cantonments and headquarters, and even the burning of the national flag have exacerbated an already difficult situation. Pakistan is currently facing significant inflation rates, making it difficult for its inhabitants to achieve their basic requirements. Riots and injuries have occurred as a result of a lack of vital food staples such as flour. However, rising gasoline, oil, and lubricant prices have had the most severe impact on the Pakistan Army.
With gasoline prices already at an exorbitant 262 per litre for petrol and diesel, and 164 for kerosene oil, the Pakistan Army is unable to get the reserve fuel and lubricants required to operate its fleet of military trucks, tanks and armoured vehicles. Earlier this year, numerous Pakistan Army field commanders wrote to the Quarter Master General, citing major worries about a lack of essential food supplies in all messes to feed its soldiers.
According to the global lender’s data, debt-ridden Pakistan will soon become the world’s fourth largest IMF borrower after obtaining a new loan of USD 3 billion over the next nine months under the standby agreement struck with the global lender.
Pakistan, which is experiencing its worst economic crisis since its independence from Britain in 1947, was rated fifth on the list of countries with the largest borrowing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on March 31, 2023. The extraordinary gasoline shortage and its negative influence on the Pakistan Army’s operational readiness highlight the country’s political and economic instability’s severe impact on its military forces.
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