Asif takes another swipe at VIP security

ISLAMABAD:

A day after calling for a ban on the widespread use of Vigo pickup trucks in Parliament Lodges and on public roads, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Monday questioned the sharp increase in the number of bulletproof vehicles in the country, urging the Interior Ministry to compile a comprehensive list of their owners and examine the justification for their use.

Speaking in the National Assembly, the defence minister said the number of bulletproof vehicles had increased dramatically across Pakistan and called for greater scrutiny of the country's VIP security culture.

He said authorities should determine who owned such vehicles, why they required them, and how they managed the substantial cost of maintaining them.

"The interior ministry should prepare a list of bulletproof vehicles across the country," Asif said. "We should see who has a bulletproof vehicle and why they have one."

The minister also questioned how owners managed the recurring expense of replacing bulletproof tyres every three months.

A day earlier, Asif had slammed the use of Vigo pickup trucks at Parliament Lodges and on roads, proposing that they be banned. "Save Parliament from Vigo pickups. Vigo pickups are vulgar anyway," he had remarked.

He also urged ministers to stop displaying official flags on their vehicles after office hours, saying the flags were unnecessary when ministers themselves were travelling in the vehicles.

"There should be some mechanism to prevent Vigo pickups from entering Parliament Lodges," he said.

"When we are in power, the police lead us; when we are out of power, the police follow us," he said, adding that Vigo pickups should be banned both from Parliament Lodges and public roads. Asif further questioned the need for heavy security around lawmakers residing at Parliament Lodges.

"Members of Parliament live in Parliament Lodges. Who is under threat there?" he asked.