K-Pakhtunkhwa faces controversy over buying 5,000 pistols for police

Political and diplomatic pressure is reportedly being applied on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police to buy a Middle Eastern country-made Caracal pistol that was rejected by the police technical committee in place of the Austrian Glock already approved for purchase as it is not only trusted but also had the lowest bid in the tender. The KP Police chief Muhammad Akbar Hoti said he had no intention of changing the decision despite intense pressure from different quarters. “I am accepting no pressure. We have got the best deal as Glock pistols were offered to us at the lowest price in the international tender along with spare parts free of cost for 10 years. The pistol we are buying is better in quality and is also the cheapest,” he argued while talking to The News. The KP Police had placed an order with the firm, Messrs International, for the purchase of 5,000 Glock pistols and the consignment was to be delivered in December this year. The police force is also buying other weapons and bullets, but those purchases through separate tenders didn’t generate any controversy and are also scheduled for delivery in December. According to IG Police Akbar Hoti, the Glock pistol was offered to his force at $349 each (Rs31,000). The total deal stood at Rs 155 million. He said Additional Inspector General of Police (Headquarters) Khalid Masood headed the committee that evaluated the bids presented by seven firms, including those offering to supply the Italian pistol Beretta and the Caracal. He said it selected Glock due to its competitive price, lowest bid and better after sale terms. He said a technical committee of the police also evaluated the pistols and selected Glock. Apart from Khalid Masood, other police officers who remained members of the general and technical committees included Additional Inspector General Rehmat Khan Mehsud, AIG Finance Quresh Khan, ATO and Bomb Disposal Unit head Shafqat Malik, Elite Training School Principal Col (R) Waqar Burhan, Deputy Commandant Elite Force Mohammad Iqbal Khan, Deputy Commandant Frontier Reserve Police Gul Wali Mohmand and his predecessor Mohammad Riaz and DSP Operations Shahnawaz Khan. The Middle Eastern group subsequently complained about the procedure for the purchase of pistols for KP Police and alleged that favour was shown to the firm bidding to sell the “outdated” Glock pistol. Complaints were made to the president, prime minister, chief minister, Supreme Court, Peshawar High Court and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). Transparency International’s Pakistan chapter also became involved in the issue. The NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also probed the matter and reportedly didn’t find any irregularity in the award of the tender to Messrs International for the supply of Glock pistols. The ANP-led provincial government later constituted a committee led by the senior member Board of Revenue and having the deputy secretary Home and special secretary Finance as members to conduct inquiry into the issue. It may be mentioned that many political elites of Pakistan, particularly those in power presently at the centre and in the provinces including KP, have bought properties and are doing business in the Middle Eastern state. Surprisingly, the Pakistani ambassador in the country also recommended to the relevant people in Pakistan for purchasing the Glock pistol for the KP Police. It was strange that one of his arguments was that diplomatic relations with the country would be affected if this deal fell through even though the manufacturer of the Caracal pistol is a private rather than a state-owned firm. The relatively new Caracal pistol too is high quality and has been praised by internationally known arms experts. The manufacturers had hired the services of Wilhelm Bubits, an Austrian handgun designer who earlier worked at Glock and then another pistol manufacturer, Steyr, in Austria, as head of the Caracal design and development wing. However, the KP Police selected Glock as it was being offered at a lower price with better after sale services and was already in use of the provincial police force. There is growing concern that delay in making the Glock pistol purchases as required under the terms of the international tender and finalisation of its agreement with the KP Police could result in a legal battle and also cause the lapsing of the funds meant for buying the pistols. According to Additional Inspector General of Police Khalid Masood, it wasn’t possible to override the report of the police technical committee which included experts such as Shafqat Malik, head of the Bomb Disposal Unit, and Col (R) Waqar Burhan who is a retired officer of the Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG). He conceded that the international tender notice placed by the KP Police had specifically mentioned Glock pistol or its equivalent while inviting bids. However, he argued that never had the Glock pistol been offered for sale at such a low price of $349 a piece. “Sometimes, the manufacturers and the suppliers don’t want to lose a market and are willing to offer a competitive price. The same Glock pistol was bought at a higher price in the past,” he asserted. “Glock is priced at around Rs300,000 in the market. We would get it at Rs70,000 to Rs80,000 a piece (Rs 350 million to Rs 400 million) after paying 100 percent taxes. The KP Police would get the pistols on FOB basis as required under the law at the Karachi seaport and would pay the freight charges, taxes and duties,” Khalid Masood explained. Police sources said that the KP Police in 2007-2008 purchased 322 Glock pistols at the rate of Rs59,000 per piece. Another purchase was made in 2008-2009 when 750 Glock pistols were bought for Rs81,900 each. Another advertisement was placed in 2009-2010 for purchase of Glock pistols and the rate of Rs107,000 a piece was approved, but the process got delayed and the supply order could not be issued due to the closure of the financial year. The latest bid to buy the pistols was advertised in 2011-2012 and the process initiated but it has become mired in controversy due to efforts on the part of vested interest groups to block the purchase of the Glock pistols. Senior cops opined that one major reason for the opposition to the purchase of Glock pistol at a lower rate is the fear among those who purchased it at a higher price some years ago when it should have been priced low as the value of the US dollar was less at the time.