The Sindh government’s push to enforce new vehicle number plates has sparked widespread frustration in Karachi, with thousands of vehicles impounded, heavy fines imposed, and citizens caught in lengthy processing delays.
As demand for the new plates has surged, the Excise Department has struggled to keep up. In the past 10 days alone, over 6,000 people visited Karachi’s Civic Centre to request plates, only to be told issuance would take time due to a massive backlog.
An Excise official acknowledged the sudden jump, explaining that while just 500 motorbike plates were requested over two months previously, more than 5,000 were sought in just 10 days.
Despite these delays, traffic police have intensified enforcement, issuing fines worth millions and seizing over 12,000 vehicles and motorcycles still using older plates. Citizens accuse authorities of lacking coordination and transparency, while criticizing the Rs1,850 fee for motorbikes and Rs2,450 for cars as unfair since many have paid for plates before.
Frustrated motorists argue the crackdown feels more like harassment. “Any number plate should work — there’s no strict law saying it must be provincial,” said one driver. Another claimed authorities were only chasing daily quotas.
Political figures have also condemned the campaign. MQM-P leader Farooq Sattar called it a “new method to loot Karachi’s citizens,” alleging daily bribes flow upward. Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi chief Munem Zafar Khan urged residents to resist what he described as the traffic police’s systematic extortion, noting over 52,000 fines issued in just two months despite poor public services.
