ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's government has moved to buy 45 bulletproof vehicles to protect visiting foreign leaders at next year's Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif cut back a request for 65.
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), approved the purchase of 15 additional armored sedans costing Rs3 billion for the SCO Council of Heads of State Summit, scheduled for September 2027.
The vehicles are in addition to 30 Mercedes-Benz Maybach S680 Guard sedans, rated VR10, for which the committee earlier approved a Rs6.60 billion supplementary grant.
The additional vehicles are 15 BMW 760i xDrive sedans, rated VR9. A summary covering both purchases is to go before the next Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet Division had asked for 65 vehicles. Officials said Sharif reduced the number to 45 after consulting the deputy prime minister and the ministries of foreign affairs and interior, and told the division to revise its cost estimates.
The purchase will require the government to relax a ban on buying new vehicles that the Cabinet imposed as part of austerity measures. The committee directed the Cabinet Division to submit a case to the Cabinet seeking the exemption. It also told the division to prepare a case for exemption from duties and taxes under the Customs Act 1969, the Sales Tax Act 1990 and the Federal Excise Act 2005.
The request follows a summary submitted Sept. 7, 2026, in which the Cabinet Division sought 12.61 billion rupees through a technical supplementary grant to buy bulletproof and soft-skin vehicles for the summit.
The committee approved the Rs6.60 billion for the 30 Mercedes sedans and asked the division to resubmit the case for the remaining vehicles.
The Cabinet Division told the committee that a high-level meeting chaired by Sharif had unanimously concluded that 30 vehicles would not be enough against a requirement of 65, given the security protocols expected for the summit. Committee members stressed the need for the highest-standard armored vehicles in light of internal and external threats.
Officials also said bulletproof vehicles take a long time to manufacture, particularly right-hand-drive models, and that the matter had already been delayed.
Government officials described the summit as a historic opportunity for Pakistan to highlight its international stature and promote national interests.
Sharif is currently abroad. He is expected to ratify the Cabinet's decision when he returns home.
