In a move highlighting escalating tensions between federal and provincial authorities, the Interior Ministry has redirected a fleet of bulletproof vehicles intended for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Balochistan after KP’s Chief Minister publicly denounced them as “old and faulty.”
The controversy began earlier this week when KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi criticized the federal government’s ‘flawed policies’ for a recent spike in terrorism. He accused the central government of withholding essential funds and constitutional rights, and instructed officials to return the armored cars provided by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
The public grievance prompted Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti to intervene. On the social media platform X, Bugti noted that his province faced similar security threats and appealed to the interior minister to transfer the security assets to Balochistan if they were unwanted by KP.
The request received a swift and public affirmation from Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. Responding to Bugti’s post, Naqvi stated, ‘Chief Minister, noted – the bulletproof vehicles will be sent to Balochistan immediately to strengthen counterterrorism efforts. Thank you for highlighting the issue.’
The federal government, however, issued a sharp rebuke to the KP administration. On Tuesday, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry expressed regret that the sacrifices of security forces were being politicized. He alleged the PTI-led provincial government was ‘using the war against terrorism as a tool to blackmail the federal government’ instead of actively combating militants.
Reacting sarcastically to Afridi’s statement about the equipment, Chaudhry remarked, ‘If you don’t like the bulletproof vehicles, you can offer your own instead.’ He further contended that the KP government was ‘wasting time and staging unnecessary political drama.’
This inter-provincial dispute unfolds against a backdrop of deteriorating security. Since the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terminated its ceasefire with the government in November 2022, extremist violence has surged, particularly in KP and Balochistan. According to the Global Terrorism Index 2025, Pakistan is now ranked as the second most-affected nation by terrorism in the world.