Additional IGP announces crackdown on illegal number plates in Karachi from Friday

The operation will be conducted jointly by district police, traffic police, Excise Department, and CPLC

Sindh Police will launch a grand operation from Friday against motorists who conceal or tamper number plates to evade e-challans and traffic fines. The operation will be conducted jointly by the district police, traffic police, the Excise Department, and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee.

Karachi Police Chief Javed Alam Odho said at a press conference on Tuesday that citizens have increasingly begun hiding registration numbers or using fake number plates to avoid e-challans. He said action would be taken after verifying Excise Department records, and vehicles or motorcycles found involved in misuse or concealment of number plates would be confiscated.

Addressing judges and lawyers, Odho said monogram number plates must be installed separately and should not obscure the actual registration number. He added that the e-challan system operates without discrimination and that so far, 7,500 government vehicles have been fined. The police chief also warned against the illegal use of green (government) number plates.

He said, there are 22,000 heavy vehicles operating in the city, of which trackers have been installed in 15,000. In the event of an accident, the tracker helps determine the vehicle’s speed.

DIG Traffic Pir Muhammad Shah said more than 100,000 e-challans have been issued so far. He said the system aims to promote discipline rather than punish citizens. The traffic police have also placed more than 500 vehicles on a blacklist due to repeated violations.

The DIG added that vehicles running on open letters can be transferred to the owner’s name through a one-time visit to a facilitation centre.

During the press conference, officials said the introduction of the e-challan system has increased road safety, leading to a significant reduction in traffic accidents. Monthly fatalities, which previously stood at around 90, have dropped to 50.

CPLC Chief Zubair Habib said a 60% reduction in traffic accidents was a major achievement and evidence that traffic management in the city was moving in the right direction. He said technology has made it harder for violators to escape accountability, with more people now following traffic rules and wearing seat belts.

Director Excise Motor Registration Shabana Baloch, who was also present in the conference, said, an Excise Executive Centre has been established at Boat Basin. She said around two million vehicles have been registered so far and that number plates are available up to August. Plates are currently being manufactured in Karachi and Lahore.

She added that road-banking facilities will be introduced in different areas of the city to facilitate vehicle registration and that all Excise Department data has now been fully digitised.