QUETTA: A political dispute has erupted after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government returned a fleet of bulletproof vehicles to the federal government, with the Chief Minister of Balochistan now publicly requesting the cars for his own province.
The controversy began when KP’s Chief Minister, Shoail Afridi, sent back the armoured vehicles, claiming they were “expired” and unfit for use. This move prompted a strong reaction from Balochistan’s Chief Minister, Mir Sarfraz Bugti.
Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Mr. Bugti directly appealed to the Federal Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi. He argued that Balochistan, like KP, is severely affected by terrorism and is in dire need of the equipment.
In his post, he stated, “Like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan is also affected by terrorism. It is requested from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi that if the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is refusing to take bulletproof vehicles, then they should be transferred to the Balochistan government so that terrorism can be effectively combated.”
Also read: Talal chaudhry criticizes KP govt for returning bulletproof vehicles
This public request highlights the ongoing security challenges in Balochistan and places the federal government in a position to decide on the redistribution of the rejected security assets.
Meanwhile the Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry strongly criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s decision to return bulletproof vehicles supplied by the federal government, terming the move “immature” and a setback in the ongoing fight against terrorism.
The minister said that the bulletproof vehicles were provided to the Inspector General of Police, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to increase the operational capacity of police officers and personnel engaged in anti-terrorism duties.
He noted that the vehicles met international safety standards and were specifically recommended for use in high-risk and counter-terrorism operations.
Furthermore, Chaudhry focused on the fact that the federal government had previously allocated more than Rs600 billion to the KP government for security-related projects.
These included the development of safe cities, establishment of a counter-terrorism department, creation of forensic laboratories, and other critical infrastructure to strengthen the province’s ability to combat terrorism.
Moreover, the minister said it was “ironic and unfortunate” that police officers and officials in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were being left exposed to potential terrorist attacks.
