After complaints by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi regarding bulletproof vehicles provided by the federal government, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Wednesday that the vehicles in question would be sent to Balochistan instead.
On Monday, Afridi had blamed[1] the “flawed policy” of the federal government for the resurgence of terrorism being witnessed in the province. He further claimed that the federal government was neither giving KP funds allocated under the country’s ongoing war against terrorism, nor “other constitutional rights”. He had also alleged that the bulletproof cars provided by Naqvi were “defective and old”, adding that they should be recalled.
Late on Tuesday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had commented on the claims and said that like KP, his province was also affected by terrorism.
“It is an appeal to the interior minister that if the KP government is refusing to take the bulletproof vehicles, they should be transferred to the Balochistan government so that terrorism can be countered effectively,” he said in a post on social media platform X.
Today, Naqvi responded to Bugti’s post and said: “CM sahib, done. These bulletproof vehicles will be sent to Balochistan immediately to enhance counter-terrorism efforts. Thank you for raising this.”
On Tuesday, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry had criticised[2] the new KP chief minister, expressing disappointment that the “fight against terrorism and sacrifices made by soldiers were being overshadowed by politics”. He alleged that the PTI-led provincial government was choosing not to fight the war against terrorism “so they could use it to blackmail the government”.
Responding to Afridi’s comment on the vehicles, the minister said that it was “unfortunate that CM Afridi was returning necessary equipment to make the Centre look weak for political point scoring”.
“If you did not like the bulletproof cars, then maybe give your own instead,” he said, adding that the KP government was “not fighting a war but only wasting time and creating unnecessary drama”.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended[3] its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The country ranked[4] second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025.