Unregistered vehicles

An estimated 100,000 to 200,000 vehicles with fraudulent credentials roam the streets of Karachi. These vehicles are either never registered or have not paid the annual vehicle token tax for many years. They carry false number plates, personalized number plates, foreign number plates or AFR number plates. In many cases, they falsely convert their number plates to government number plates by painting them green and writing the words ‘Government of Sindh’ or ‘Government of Pakistan’ on them.

The province of Sindh has no mechanism, capacity or will to address this widespread crime that not only deprives the state of its lawful taxes, but is also linked to terrorism and militancy. Hundreds of photographs of such delinquent vehicles, taken by citizens and regularly sent to the police, are forwarded to the Sindh government but have failed to make any impact. It is crucial that the chief minister urgently look into this matter and create the organizations necessary to eradicate this unchecked and overlooked disease.

Naeem Sadiq

Karachi