The seasoned policemen flanking the minister looked amused as he donned a bulletproof jacket and helmet, but they ran for cover as he began firing a volley of rounds at the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), that was being tested for body strength.
The APC tested at Razzaqabad was built at the Heavy Industrial Complex in Taxila, a senior army official told The Express Tribune. Around 10 such vehicles have already been handed over to the police. The government had initially been looking at orders from foreign countries such as Turkey, but decided to go ahead with their own product once they realised that it was not only cost effective, but also a stronger product. A locally built APC costs around Rs15 million while the same product can cost up to Rs27 million when imported.
Despite missing the target quite a few times, the minister kept on firing the automatic weapons with great ardour. Officials looking on, including members of the army, coast guard and airport security, could be heard joking among themselves and drawing parallels between the APC and Zulfiqar Mirza. “The minister must be feeling uneasy because, like the APC, Mirza remains unscathed no matter how many rounds one fires at it,” quipped a senior official, careful to stay out of Wassan’s earshot.
For his part, Wassan claimed that he does not equate Zulfiqar Mirza to a criminal. “I don’t believe he is a criminal, but a political figure,” he said in reply to a question.
Later, Wassan accompanied by Inspector General Police Sindh Mushtaq Shah, told the media that every effort was being made to equip police with modern gear.
He spoke of the special five billion-rupee package that President Asif Ali Zardari had announced for the Sindh police. The provincial and federal governments will provide equal halves of the sum. Thirty-nine new APCs such as the one tested at the academy are to be paid for from this package. New weapons such as G3s for the force, bullet-proof jackets, ballistic shields, motorcycles for constables, transport pickups, cranes, water cannons and other gear will also be bought.
As for Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Wassan said that he was best friends with the former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and the two have a long history together. He was not surprised, however, that Qureshi was making plans to join another political party.
“One must not forget the history of Makhdoom sahib, whose father too had become a governor during General Zia’s regime after leaving the PPP that [Zulfikar] Bhutto had formed,” he observed. He added that, although he does not have any information on new developments, he believed that Qureshi will return to the PPP fold in the future.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 16th, 2011.
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