The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) secretariat has decided to buy a bullet-proof vehicle at a cost of Rs95 million to provide security to Chinese nationals, as it said the Cabinet Division could not meet its pressing needs, resulting in the cancellation of important official engagements. The new Toyota Land Cruiser 3,500cc vehicle will be in addition to a pool of such vehicles and at least two helicopters that various government departments have either bought or are in the process of buying for the protection of Chinese nationals who are vulnerable to attacks. Due to high risks, Chinese nationals are not allowed to travel in non-bullet-proof vehicles.
The bullet-proof vehicle is being bought only for the security of Chinese nationals, whose protection is the primary responsibility of the government of Pakistan, said Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal. The government will buy the vehicle through direct contracting with a dealer of the local assembler by invoking rule 42-c (vii) of the Public Procurement Rules. The CPEC secretariat did not have the required funds to procure the vehicle.
The planning ministry arranged money to place the order by June 30 by diverting Rs58.3 million from different projects. However, the order could not be placed due to a delay in securing requisite approvals by the close of the fiscal year. The vehicle will be bought against the CPEC secretariat project, which justified the purchase by stating that whenever vehicles were requisitioned from the Cabinet Division, there was frequent non-availability due to limited fleet and high demand.
It stated to the planning ministry that non-availability was resulting in delays, rescheduling and, at times, cancellation of important official engagements, particularly those involving foreign delegations. The CPEC secretariat is responsible for smooth coordination and monitoring of projects under CPEC, but there is no full-time project director and the work is being assigned to a junior officer. The project management argued that for effective discharge of its responsibilities, availability of reliable official transport was indispensable.
It added that Chinese delegations and technical personnel frequently visit the CPEC secretariat and project sites for meetings, inspections and coordination purposes. This year, Pakistan and China are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment o…
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