Under open letter

In our country, many people use second-hand vehicles under open letter. This practice has recently further increased owing to increased taxes on vehicle transfer. The vehicle used in the recent attack on the Chinese Consulate has once again highlighted this issue. What is even more frustrating is the fact that the excise department doesn’t have a mechanism to keep a check on people. Car buyers use their vehicles without fear, while sellers remain at risk as they are unable to transfer the movable property to the new buyer. I sold my car nine months back, but it is still in my name.

I contacted CPLC, Karachi and found out that the department does not tag such cars in its record. There is one solution to this issue; since cars’ number plates are permanent property of owners, when owners sell their car they should remove the number plate and ask the buyer to get new registration. This mechanism will force buyers to get their vehicles registered in their name. Moreover, until such mechanism is made by the government, CPLC should tag such cars when a seller reports the sale so that these do not appear as ‘clear’ in their record.

Dr Farooq Arby

Karachi