KARACHI:
A petition has been filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) challenging the issuance of traffic fines for not displaying new Ajrak-themed number plates on motorcycles, Express News reported.
The petitioner, social activist Faizan Hussain, argued that the directive from the DIG Traffic for strict enforcement has led to heavy fines rather than public awareness campaigns.
He maintained that this approach is placing undue financial pressure on citizens amid high inflation. The petition calls on the court to restrain traffic police from issuing challans until a more accessible compliance mechanism is implemented.
Earlier, he filed a petition in the SHC challenging the Sindh government’s enforcement of Ajrak-themed number plates, citing public inconvenience, financial burden, and a lack of legal justification.
He argued that vehicles are being unfairly penalised and called for the plates to be issued free of cost. The petition also highlighted delays, public harassment, and the rise of counterfeit plates due to the new policy.
The Sindh government had issued a final deadline for vehicle owners to replace their number plates with the new design in January.
Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation, Mukesh Chawla, announced that after April 3, vehicles displaying anything other than the newly issued plates will no longer be accepted. “After April 3, only the newly issued Ajrak number plates will be considered valid in the province,” he said.
To streamline the process, he added that traffic police will be provided counters at civic centres and facilitation centres for a one-window operation. “Traffic police check posts will also ensure that vehicles receive their new number plates within the stipulated time,” Chawla said.
Additionally, the minister mentioned that vehicle transfers and tax payments for those with outstanding fines will be made conditional on the payment of these fines.
