The Urdu proverb “Kare koi, bhare koi” (one commits the act, but someone else pays the price) perfectly fits certain cases of e-challans in Karachi, where residents are receiving traffic fines for violations committed by vehicles from other provinces that carry number plates identical to Sindh’s.
A surprising revelation emerged during the investigation of a heavy Rs10,000 e-challan issued to the owner of a car stolen 28 years ago. According to police officials, the violation was not committed by the stolen vehicle, but by a car from Balochistan bearing the identical number (AAR-540).
The offending vehicle is registered in Quetta. The stolen car was a Mehran, while the violation was committed by a Corolla, but due to the identical plate number, the challan was sent to the Karachi owner — reopening the wound of losing his vehicle nearly three decades ago.
Officials say that motor vehicle registration in Balochistan is not digitised, and countless vehicles with number plates identical to Sindh’s enter and leave Karachi daily. Many of their drivers routinely violate traffic rules, resulting in frequent challans. Due to identical plates, these e-challans are increasingly being issued to Karachi residents instead of being dispatched to the actual offenders.