Pakistan's government has approved $23.8 million to buy 30 bulletproof cars for next year's Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.The grant, worth Rs6.6 billion, was approved to buy 30 bullet-proof vehicles for the SCO summit that Islamabad is set to host next year.
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet met on Monday. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb chaired the meeting.
The Cabinet Division had asked for a lot more. It requested a supplementary grant of Rs12.6 billion to purchase over 50 bulletproof vehicles for moving heads of state during the summit. The ECC cut that request nearly in half and only released funds for 30 cars. It asked the Cabinet Division to come back with proof of need before any more money is given.
Local reporting fills in what the original order looked like. The Cabinet Division had asked for 30 Mercedes-Benz Maybach cars priced at Rs220 million each, along with 29 BMWs of two different variants and six Toyota Land Cruiser 300s. The ECC approved money only for the Maybach batch. The BMWs and Land Cruisers were left out of this round.
The cars are meant to move VIPs safely during the SCO summit, which Pakistan will host in September 2027. Officials expect nine heads of state, two observer states, 15 dialogue partners, and 11 heads of international and regional bodies to attend, including the United Nations Secretary-General.
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Pakistan took over the SCO chairmanship for 2026-27 this month, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the alliance's summit in Bishkek.
