The latest bead in the string of VIP culture is the government’s decision to provide bullet-proof cars to all federal ministers, as announced by the country’s Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik while talking to media on Thursday (September 03, 2009). The decision has been taken after a recent attack on Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi in which the minister and his bodyguard were injured and his driver killed on spot.

It is said that Hamid Saeed Kazmi had repeatedly asked the government for provision of outdoor security but had been told that no escort vehicle could be provided by the government. However, after the attack, the government has changed its mind and the Interior Minister has announced the decision of providing bullet-proof cars to federal ministers. It has been told that the President has approved level 6 security cars to federal ministers. There has been no mention of this offer extending to provincial ministers.

Mr. Malik also told media that Blackwater is not present/operating in Pakistan and that Pakistan would not allow any foreign agencies to operate from its soil. However, the presence of US agencies has been the point of concern for the public as news sources reported the presence of secret US agency/Blackwater in the country, especially in the federal capital Islamabad and the provincial capital Peshawar. Mr. Rehman but did confirm that the US embassy in Islamabad had applied for buying more land for its embassy, and so had the embassies of Turkey and China.