Thaindian News

Islamabad, Apr.21 (ANI): The Shaukat Aziz Government in Pakistan had purchased 28 bullet-proof Mercedez Benz cars to be used by officials who were entitled for using a bullet-proof vehicle, while the government has the list of 18 persons who are currently using the vehicles, strangely enough it has no details of the remaining 16 persons who have these luxurious vehicles at their disposal.

According to The News, despite several queries the Cabinet Division which maintains the central pools of these cars, has not released the names of the officials who are using the vehicles.

A report has revealed that these 16 vehicles are being used by Cabinet Division’s own officers for official and general duty.

However, Cabinet Division Secretary Zafar Mahmood has denied that any of his officers were using the cars.

“No officer of the ministry is allowed to use Mercedes Benz at any cost, what to talk of bullet-proof cars .The official document you have, may have contained some serious printing mistakes,” Mahmood told the newspaper.

“I will check the list and then tell you that who is using these cars,” he added.

As of now the list of 18 persons, about which the Lower House has information, using the bullet-proof cars include names of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar and others.

Interestingly, the documents procured by the newspaper mentions that the officials who are using the Merc are ‘entitled’ to do so, but according to the law of the country even the federal secretary or a minister is not entitled to drive an official bullet-proof Mercedes unless approved by the Prime Minister.

It may be noted that Prime Minister himself was sentenced to seven years jail term by a NAB court for misusing one of such vehicle when he was Speaker of the National Assembly from 1993 to 1996. (ANI)