ISLAMABAD: The Sindh government has formally requested the federal interior ministry to allocate it the armoured vehicles rejected earlier this week by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) administration, becoming the second province after Balochistan to do so.
In a letter addressed to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Sindh Additional Chief Secretary Muhammad Iqbal Memon said the province faced a “critical security environment”, citing the need to protect Chinese nationals, foreign dignitaries, and other high-profile visitors.
“It is requested that these bulletproof vehicles may kindly be allocated to the government of Sindh for deployment under the Home Department,” the letter stated, adding that the vehicles would be used exclusively for official security duties and maintained under departmental control.
The development follows KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi’s recent decision to reject the armoured vehicles provided by the federal government, terming them “defective and old”. Afridi had accused the federal authorities of pursuing a “flawed policy” on counterterrorism, claiming that Islamabad had withheld funds and other resources meant for KP under the ongoing war against terrorism.
Responding to Afridi’s remarks earlier this week, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had appealed to the interior ministry to transfer the vehicles to his province instead, citing Balochistan’s own security challenges. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi later announced that the vehicles originally meant for KP had been allocated to Balochistan.
Sindh’s latest request adds another layer to the political and administrative tussle between the provinces and the federal government over security resources, amid a worsening national security landscape.
Pakistan has seen a sharp increase in terrorist incidents, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in late 2022. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025, Pakistan now ranks second among countries most affected by terrorism.
