The Government of Pakistan has approved the purchase of a Rs95 million bulletproof vehicle for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Secretariat. The vehicle will strengthen security arrangements for Chinese nationals and support official CPEC activities across the country.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said the government is purchasing the vehicle exclusively to ensure the safety of Chinese nationals. He added that protecting Chinese personnel remains a top national priority.
Dedicated Vehicle for Official Delegations
The CPEC Secretariat regularly hosts Chinese experts, engineers, and official delegations. However, officials often struggle to obtain vehicles from the Cabinet Division because of limited availability.
As a result, some official meetings have faced delays or rescheduling. Therefore, the Secretariat decided to acquire its own dedicated vehicle to improve transport arrangements.
Moreover, Pakistan expects several high-level Chinese delegations this year as both countries celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations.
Toyota Land Cruiser Selected
The government will purchase a Toyota Land Cruiser 3500cc through direct contracting under Rule 42 of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Rules.
Three authorized Toyota dealers submitted quotations. Toyota Central Motors offered the lowest bid of Rs95.049 million, which the government accepted.
After the purchase, the Ministry of Interior will oversee the vehicle’s bulletproofing according to standard procedures.
Funds Reallocated for the Purchase
Initially, the CPEC Secretariat did not have enough funds for the purchase.
Therefore, the Ministry of Planning reallocated Rs58.3 million from several development projects. However, officials could not complete the procurement before the end of the previous fiscal year because approvals took longer than expected.
The ministry collected funds from the Centre of Excellence for CPEC, the federal SDGs programme, monitoring and evaluation projects, and other development initiatives.
Supporting CPEC 2.0 Implementation
Officials said the purchase also supports the implementation of CPEC 2.0.
Chinese experts have already begun working with Pakistani ministries on export development, Special Economic Zones (SEZs), agricultural modernization, and long-term planning.
Furthermore, the dedicated vehicle will improve coordination during project visits, inspections, and high-level meetings.
Security Remains a National Priority
Pakistan continues to strengthen security measures for Chinese personnel working on CPEC-related projects.
Consequently, officials believe the dedicated vehicle will improve operational efficiency, ensure timely transport for visiting delegations, and support the successful implementation of CPEC 2.0.
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