Zardari Motorcade Inquiry After Faulty Vehicle
Sindh Police have opened a Zardari motorcade inquiry after a faulty vehicle joined President Asif Ali Zardari’s motorcade during his visit to Thatta. A three-member committee will report within seven days on how the unroadworthy vehicle was put on duty, and who was responsible for checking it.
The Sindh inspector general of police issued a notification on November 3, 2026, forming the committee. The Express Tribune reported the order on November 12, and ARY News had carried the same development a day earlier. Both reports confirm the same committee, the same vehicle and the same seven-day deadline.
The vehicle was a government-owned Toyota Revo double-cabin pickup, registration number SPF-961. It developed a technical fault during the president’s visit to Thatta, a district in southern Sindh. The fault raised questions about how a vehicle in that condition was cleared for a presidential convoy at all.
Additional Inspector General Karachi Azad Khan will chair the inquiry. Deputy Inspector General Logistics and Welfare Zubair Dreshak and Deputy Inspector General Finance Tanveer Alam Odho will serve as the other two members. The committee must submit a full inquiry report, with findings and recommendations, to the inspector general’s office within seven days.
What the Zardari motorcade inquiry will examine
The committee has a wide brief. It will determine the facts and circumstances under which the faulty vehicle was detailed for the president’s convoy. It will identify the officers and staff responsible for inspecting the vehicle and assigning it to duty.
It will also examine the vehicle’s mechanical condition at the time of deployment. That includes any defects already present before the visit, and the full record of its repair and maintenance. The panel will check whether the fault was known, missed, or ignored.
The inquiry goes further than the single vehicle. It will scrutinise the funds allocated to and spent by the Sindh Police Special Security Unit on fuel, transport, repairs and the purchase of new vehicles. The unit provides security for VIP and VVIP movements in the province, so its spending and fleet condition sit at the centre of the probe.
The committee will fix responsibility where it finds negligence and recommend departmental action under the relevant rules. It will also propose measures to stop similar incidents in future VIP and VVIP motorcades.
Why a breakdown in a motorcade matters
A presidential motorcade is a moving security cordon. Every vehicle in it has a role, from escort and route clearance to carrying security staff and equipment. A breakdown can stall the whole convoy, block escape routes, and leave the protectee exposed on an open road.
That is why the inquiry treats the incident as a security lapse, not a simple mechanical failure. The question is not only what went wrong with one pickup. It is how the checking system allowed a faulty vehicle into a convoy that guards the head of state.
There is a recent precedent for action after a motorcade lapse. In August 2025, the senior superintendent of Islamabad Traffic Police was removed from his posts after President Zardari’s motorcade strayed from its VVIP route in the capital. Officers told Dawn at the time that the motorcade was stuck in traffic for more than half an hour, and that the detour had put the president and his convoy at grave security risk.
The Thatta case follows the same pattern. A routine failure in planning or inspection has drawn a formal response from the top of the provincial police, with named officers, a fixed deadline and a public record of the order.
What happens next
The committee has seven days from the November 3 notification to complete its work, so its report was due by November 10. Its findings will show whether the fault came from poor maintenance, a missed inspection, or a decision to deploy a vehicle that should have stayed off the road.
Sindh Police have opened several inquiries in recent weeks, including a probe team after the killing of Inspector Javed Abro in Karachi and a joint investigation team after clashes at a Kotri court. The motorcade inquiry adds a third test of how the force handles its own lapses.
The president, meanwhile, continues his public duties. He joined the prime minister in paying tribute to Allama Iqbal on Iqbal Day, and his party remains active in Sindh politics as the province deals with the fallout from an ambush on a police team in Kohat’s Gambat area this week.
For now, the focus stays on the inquiry. Its report will name the officers at fault, if any, and set out the steps meant to keep a faulty vehicle out of a presidential motorcade in future.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in President Zardari’s motorcade in Thatta?
A government-owned Toyota Revo double-cabin pickup, registration number SPF-961, developed a technical fault while it was part of President Asif Ali Zardari’s motorcade during his visit to Thatta.
Who is investigating the faulty vehicle?
A three-member committee formed by the Sindh inspector general of police. Additional Inspector General Karachi Azad Khan chairs it, with DIG Logistics and Welfare Zubair Dreshak and DIG Finance Tanveer Alam Odho as members.
When must the inquiry report be submitted?
Within seven days of the notification, which the inspector general’s office issued on November 3, 2026.
What will the committee look into?
How the faulty vehicle was assigned to the motorcade, who inspected and deployed it, its mechanical condition and maintenance record, and the Special Security Unit’s spending on fuel, transport, repairs and new vehicles.
Has this happened before?
In August 2025, the Islamabad traffic police chief was removed after President Zardari’s motorcade strayed from its VVIP route in the capital and was stuck in traffic for more than half an hour.
