KARACHI: The Sindh government’s decision to enforce new number plates for vehicles has led to serious inconvenience for citizens in Karachi. Thousands of vehicle owners have been fined or had their vehicles impounded for not having the new plates, even though the Excise Department is struggling to issue them on time.
According to media reports, huge rush of people has been reported at the Civic Centre, where the plates are issued, but many have returned disappointed due to slow processing and limited capacity. In the last ten days alone, over 6,000 people visited the centre, but officials said they couldn’t provide plates immediately.
An Excise Department official acknowledged the pressure, revealing that while only 500 motorbike plates were issued over the last two months, over 5,000 receipts were generated in just ten days.
Despite the backlog, the traffic police have started a strict crackdown, fining people with older or non-standard plates. So far, more than 12,000 vehicles and motorcycles have been seized, and fines worth millions of rupees issued. Many citizens say this is unfair, especially since there is no clear notification from the Sindh government explaining the rules.
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“There’s no law saying we must use provincial plates,” said one frustrated motorist. Another accused the police of harassment, claiming they were working on a “fine quota.”
The cost of a new plate is Rs1,850 for motorcycles and Rs2,450 for cars, which many say is too high since they already paid for number plates at the time of registration.
Citizens have demanded that the Excise Department establish camps across the city to speed up the process and that authorities stop penalising people until the system is streamlined.
Meanwhile, MQM-P senior leader Dr. Farooq Sattar has strongly criticised the Sindh government, calling the new number plate campaign a way to “loot” the people of Karachi. In a statement, he alleged that the traffic police are extorting money from citizens in the name of number plates and collecting millions in daily bribes which, he said, “go all the way to the top.”
He said that traffic police corruption in Karachi has turned into a full-blown industry, and MQM-P will not allow such misuse of power under the guise of uniforms. He added that while citizens suffer for hours in traffic jams, the police have failed to protect them from reckless drivers, including the dump truck mafia.
Dr. Sattar further criticised the state of Karachi’s roads, comparing them to the ruins of Mohenjo Daro, while accusing the Sindh government of wanting to impose American-style fines. He warned that if the patience of Karachi’s people breaks, it will lead to a political flood that could sweep away all governments.
