Govt defends purchase of 45 bulletproof vehicles for SCO summit

The Pakistani government has defended its decision to purchase 45 bulletproof vehicles for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad in 2027. According to the Cabinet Division, the vehicles are necessary to provide secure transportation for foreign dignitaries attending the summit.

The government faced criticism over the planned purchase, prompting the Cabinet Division to release a press release justifying the decision. The division stated that the SCO summit is a high-profile event, second only to the 1973 Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Summit, and that it presents an opportunity for Pakistan to raise its stature among nations.

The Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet approved a supplementary grant of more than Rs6 billion to purchase the bulletproof vehicles earlier this month, as per Dawn. The government emphasized the need for "maximum possible level of protection" during the summit, citing Pakistan's "security paradigm".

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Times, Dawn - Pakistan, Dawn — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.