During its 16 months in power, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) coalition government, led by former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif, allocated bulletproof vehicles to 14 prominent figures, signed off by the former PM himself.
A document, obtained by Samaa TV, reveals the details of these allocations during the PDM government from April 2022 to August 2023, raising questions about the necessity and cost of such measures.
The list of recipients includes some of the most influential individuals in Pakistan, including:
- Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja: Raja received a bulletproof jeep.
- Former prime ministers: Three former prime ministers, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Imran Khan, and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, were also provided with bulletproof, bomb-proof vehicles.
- Religious leaders: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and president of the PDM coalition, was given a bulletproof Land Cruiser.
- Government officials: Former special assistant to the prime minister Attaullah Tarar got a bulletproof BMW jeep, former Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah a Land Cruiser, and former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Noor Alam Khan were also allocated bulletproof vehicles.
- Others: Former federal IT minister Syed Aminul Haq, the interior secretary, Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Naqvi, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, and former deputy speaker Zahid Akram Durrani also received bulletproof cars.
Document details:
The document, spanning from April 2022 to August 2023, sheds light on the specific vehicles assigned to each individual. Notably, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf received two bulletproof Land Cruisers, one as the National Assembly speaker and another as a former prime minister.
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Former PTI chairman Imran Khan was also allotted a bulletproof BMW jeep. Noor Alam Khan, the interior secretary, Aminul Haq, Justice Naqvi and Zahid Durrani were given a bulletproof Land Cruiser each, while Sanjrani got a BMW.
As per sources, most of these personalities continue to use these vehicles, which they were supposed to leave at the disposal of the government upon completion of their tenure.
Questions and Implications:
The allocation of bulletproof vehicles to such a large number of individuals has sparked debate and raised several questions:
- Necessity: Was it necessary for all 14 individuals to have bulletproof vehicles? Could they have been adequately protected through other security measures?
- Cost: The cost of acquiring and maintaining these vehicles is likely to be significant. How much did this burden taxpayers?
- Transparency: The criteria for selecting recipients remain unclear. Were these decisions made based on genuine security threats or other considerations?
