Traffic crackdown sparks chaos as systems buckle

Delayed court productions raise questions

LAHORE:

Punjab's sweeping traffic crackdown, launched immediately after the Punjab Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Ordinance 2025 took effect on November 26, has delivered record enforcement numbers, but it has also exposed severe cracks in the system meant to sustain it.

In just 48 hours (Nov 27-29), the Punjab Traffic Police issued more than 76,000 challans, collected Rs71.2 million in fines, registered 1,402 FIRs, arrested 1,390 people, and impounded over 13,000 vehicles. Officials say the seized vehicles included 7,200 emitting excessive smoke and 1,397 public-transport vehicles involved in overloading.

But the aggressive drive triggered a side effect the government did not anticipate: system overload. Fearing heavy fines and arrests, thousands rushed to renew or obtain driving licences.

The online Driving License Management Information System (DLMIS) — touted for months as the hassle-free solution — collapsed under the traffic.

Citizens like Adnan Ahmad reported repeated error messages and days of failed attempts.

With the portal down, crowds poured into Police Khidmat Markaz and licensing centres across Punjab. Many arrived before dawn and still left empty-handed after hours-long waits. Traffic police maintain the system is functional, pointing to 700,000 licences issued between November 26 and December 4 through 24/7 centres.

The pressure spilled into police stations and courts as well. Under the law, each arrested individual must be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours. But detainees say that rule was widely ignored.

Tahir Razzaq, arrested in Lahore for a one-way violation, described lock-ups packed with over 200 people and ad-hoc police scheduling — those picked up on Thursday taken to court on Saturday, Wednesday's detainees on Friday, and so on. Even those granted bail reported hours-long delays due to the unavailability of police vans.

Meanwhile, steep fine increases — from a few hundred rupees to several thousand — pushed transporters to call a province-wide wheel-jam strike for December 8.

After negotiations, the government announced several concessions, including halting arrests of underage riders, allowing licences for 16-year-olds, and issuing helmet warnings instead of immediate fines for first-time offenders.

Despite the pushback, IGP Dr Usman Anwar has refused to soften the campaign, dismissing the strike as "blackmail" and vowing to continue the crackdown.

DIG Traffic Waqas Nazir, speaking at a recent press conference, insisted the operation targets only violators, not ordinary citizens, arguing that Punjab's 25.5 million vehicles and rising road fatalities leave no room for leniency.