Naqvi sends bulletproof vehicles rejected by K-P to Balochistan

Spat deepens as Afridi, Bugti trade barbs over counterterror gear

ISLAMABAD:

Amid a public spat over "defective" bulletproof vehicles, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday announced that the disputed vehicles would now be sent to Balochistan instead.

The move followed K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi's criticism of Islamabad's counterterrorism policy and his claim that the vehicles provided by the federal government were "old and faulty".

His remarks prompted swift reactions from both the interior ministry and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, highlighting renewed tensions between the Centre and provinces over security cooperation.

Balochistan CM Sarfraz Bugti waded into the controversy late Tuesday, saying that if K-P refused the bulletproof vehicles, his province would gladly accept them to strengthen counterterrorism efforts.

"It is an appeal to the interior minister that if the K-P government is refusing to take the bulletproof vehicles, they should be transferred to the Balochistan government so that terrorism can be countered effectively," Bugti said in a post on social media platform X.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi responded to Bugti's post, agreeing to the transfer.

"CM sahib, done. These bulletproof vehicles will be sent to Balochistan immediately to enhance counter-terrorism efforts. Thank you for raising this," Naqvi said on X Wednesday morning, confirming that the vehicles rejected by K-P would be redirected to Quetta.

Earlier, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry had also weighed in on the dispute, criticising Afridi for "playing politics" over terrorism.

He expressed disappointment that the "fight against terrorism and sacrifices made by soldiers were being overshadowed by politics," alleging that the PTI-led government in K-P was "choosing not to fight the war against terrorism so they could use it to blackmail the government."