KARACHI – Breakdown of a pickup truck in President of Pakistan’s official motorcade during visit to Thatta triggered a high-level investigation, raising serious questions about security preparedness, vehicle maintenance and the management of funds allocated to Sindh Police’s elite security operations.
The incident prompted Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) to order an inquiry into how a potentially unfit vehicle made its way into a highly sensitive presidential convoy despite strict security and operational protocols.
Toyota Revo double-cabin pickup truck assigned to presidential motorcade developed fault during the President’s visit to Thatta. The breakdown raised questions like How was vehicle with possible mechanical defects cleared to accompany one of the country’s most heavily protected officials?
Authorities want to find whether vehicle underwent proper technical inspections before deployment and whether any previously identified mechanical problems had been ignored. The investigation will also determine who authorised the vehicle’s inclusion in the convoy and whether the officers responsible for its inspection fulfilled their duties.
Sindh police chief has constituted a three-member committee comprising senior police officials. Additional IG Karachi Azad Khan will lead the investigation, while DIG Logistics Zubair Dreshak and DIG Finance Tanveer Alam Odho have been appointed committee members.
The panel has been assigned responsibility for examining the circumstances surrounding the breakdown, reviewing the vehicle’s technical condition and identifying possible administrative failures. Investigators will scrutinise maintenance records, repair histories and previous complaints concerning the vehicle to establish whether the mechanical failure could have been prevented.
The inquiry has been expanded beyond the breakdown itself to include an examination of the Special Security Unit’s budget and financial expenditure. The committee will review how funds allocated to the security unit have been utilised, particularly those spent on vehicle repairs, fuel and the procurement of new vehicles.
This aspect of the investigation is expected to determine whether resources meant to maintain operational readiness were properly managed. The decision to examine financial records alongside vehicle maintenance procedures has added another dimension to the inquiry, shifting attention from an isolated mechanical failure to broader questions about administrative oversight.
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The investigation will also focus on accountability within the security and logistics departments. Officers tasked with inspecting, maintaining and approving vehicles for sensitive assignments will come under scrutiny. If the committee finds negligence or violations of established procedures, it will recommend departmental action against the officials and personnel responsible.
The inquiry will further assess whether weaknesses in vehicle inspection systems exposed the presidential convoy to avoidable operational risks.
Sindh police chief has directed the committee to complete its investigation and submit its findings within seven days. Alongside identifying responsibility for the incident, the panel must recommend practical measures to ensure that similar failures do not occur during future VIP and VVIP movements.
