ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday questioned the government’s decision to approve a Rs6.6 billion supplementary grant to purchase 30 bullet-proof vehicles for foreign dignitaries attending the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The party said the vehicles could instead have been borrowed from provincial governments or hired for the duration of the summit, which is scheduled to be held in September next year, calling the expenditure “wasteful” and reflective of misplaced priorities.
In a statement, the PTI said billions were being spent on protocol at a time when millions of Pakistanis were struggling to meet basic household expenses. It described the decision as an “insult” to people living on inadequate incomes.
The party also warned that Pakistan’s preferential trade access to the European Union under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) could have serious implications for exports, employment and foreign-exchange earnings if suspended or lost.
Reacting to remarks by EU Ambassador Raimundas Karoblis, the PTI said maintaining GSP+ benefits required demonstrable action on fundamental rights, political freedoms, freedom of speech and assembly, and democratic governance.
It called for restoration of constitutional rights, protection of peaceful political activity, an end to political persecution, respect for the public mandate and empowerment of elected local governments.
The PTI also reiterated that its planned September 27 peaceful long march would go ahead despite legal and administrative restrictions.
Commenting on the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision to constitute a larger bench to hear a petition seeking to restrain the march, the party questioned what it called the “extraordinary promptness” with which the case had been fixed.
It contrasted this with what it said was the prolonged pendency of petitions concerning its constitutional rights, access to PTI founder Imran Khan and concerns over his wellbeing.
The party also criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks concerning Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh, saying they risked undermining national cohesion and could be exploited by India.
The PTI further condemned the latest increase in petroleum prices, warning that higher fuel costs would push up transport, food and production costs and further erode household purchasing power.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026