ECC okays over Rs6bn for security ahead of SCO Summit

According to Mettis Global, the Economic Coordination Committee approved a Rs6.6bn technical supplementary grant to buy 30 bullet-proof vehicles for transporting heads of state at the SCO Summit that Pakistan will host in September 2027. The Cabinet Division had requested Rs12.6bn, so the committee approved less than the amount sought and told the division to carry out a detailed review before submitting any further requirement.

Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb presided over the session at the Finance Division, where the committee also postponed a proposal on minimum indicative prices for tobacco and cess rate revisions for FY2026-27, asking the food security ministry to resubmit it with stronger justification. Separately, the committee endorsed export arrangements for donkey products from the Gwadar Free Zone with safeguards put forward by the same ministry.

FatimaFert and Agritech will keep receiving gas until September 30, 2026 under the present terms. The forum also cleared Rs5bn of seed capital for the Daanish Schools Authority Fund via a technical supplementary grant, to be held under an endowment structure. It further set a September 30, 2026 deadline for the education ministry to show substantive progress on the Pakistan Skills Impact Bond, which has a government guarantee.