People resent huge fees on police clearance

ALPURI: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is facing public backlash after it imposed official fees on various certificates issued by the Police Department, including police clearance certificates and no-objection certificates (NOCs).

The citizens, particularly unemployed youth, have termed the move unjust, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the decision.According to a recent notification, the provincial government has introduced fees ranging from Rs1,000 to Rs3,000 for the issuance of certificates that were required for job applications and educational purposes.

The critics argued that this would disproportionately impact unemployed youth, many of whom already struggled with severe financial constraints. “These certificates are mostly obtained by job-seeking individuals or students applying for opportunities abroad or within the country,” said one critic, noting that many young people cannot afford such high charges. “Some of them don’t even have enough for basic daily expenses - how can they pay thousands just for documentation?”

The police clearance certificates, which have a validity of only six months, are among the most frequently required documents.Social and political activists pointed out that if an unemployed person was required to pay this fee repeatedly while applying for different jobs, it placed an unreasonable financial burden on them.

The move has also been criticized by political parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, as well as civil society members, who have rejected the notification and urged the provincial government to revoke it immediately.