Vehicle re-registration plan falters

Zero registrations recorded since launch; complex SOPs deter potential applicants

RAWALPINDI:

A Punjab government initiative aimed at boosting revenue by offering re-registration of vehicles from other provinces has failed to gain traction.

Since its launch in November 2025, not a single vehicle registered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, or Azad Kashmir has been presented for re-registration at the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department in the Rawalpindi Division. Authorities have now closed the dedicated counter established for this purpose.

The scheme, introduced by the Punjab government, allowed owners of vehicles registered in other regions to re-register them in Punjab. However, five months on, no such registrations have been recorded in Rawalpindi Division.

Bilal Khan, Vice President of the Motor Car Dealers Association, attributed the failure to stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs). He explained that applicants were required to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the originating province, submit complete vehicle documentation, secure a clearance certificate from that province, and undergo verification including a Police 15 NOC in Punjab.

He noted that the lengthy and complex process discouraged applicants. "Had the procedure been simpler—limited to submission of complete documents and basic police verification—the package might have succeeded and generated millions of rupees in taxes and fees for the provincial government," he said.

Officials from the Excise Department's Motor Branch confirmed that no vehicle from another province has been re-registered during this period.