April 03, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1429

ISLAMABAD, April 2: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has limited official cars of his ministers to 1600cc but they continue to ride high - not for style but seemingly for good reason. High-powered cars are a matter of safety for some of them. Others seem to be stuck with powerful cars because they don’t have a choice.

Car companies stopped assembling 1600cc cars in their plants in Pakistan in 2005. Unless the government has cars of that specification in its existing fleet, the same will have to be imported, defeating the purpose for which low limit had been set.

Most of the ministers travel in their own, or government-provided bullet-proof cars.

Prime minister’s adviser on interior Rehman Malik, who has the status of a federal minister, has to use his own bullet-proof car because the government-owned bullet-proof car is still in the use of Aftab Sherpao, the former interior minister now in the opposition.

Some of the outgoing ministers on terrorists hit-list were allowed by President Pervez Musharraf to retain their government-provided bullet-proof cars. Mr Sherpao twice escaped attacks when he was interior minister.

Questioned by mediapersons about his flashy white bullet-proof Toyota land cruiser, Mr Rehman Malik said: “I am a prime target of purported terrorists and am constrained to use this vehicle which can protect against bomb attacks too.

“And I pay for its petrol from my own pocket,” he reminded, adding that once Mr Sherpao returns the official bullet-proof car he would use that car. Even if and when the ministers are provided 1600cc cars, their security escorts would, ironically, continue to zoom in 2000cc plus cars.