KARACHI: Sindh’s Excise and Taxation Minister, Mukesh Kumar Chawla, has reiterated that only Excise Department-issued number plates featuring the Ajrak design are legally valid, warning that plates purchased from unauthorized sources will not be accepted.
Chawla underlined that the Safe City Project hinges on the full implementation of these security-enhanced number plates. “We have already issued 2 million plates for vehicles and motorcycles in Karachi,” he stated.
The Ajrak-themed number plates, first introduced through tenders in 2011, feature advanced security elements such as embedded threads, 3D holograms, barcodes, and night-visible camera readability. However, the rollout faced repeated delays due to legal hurdles initiated by political parties, with stay orders in effect at different intervals until 2021.
Since then, the provincial government bypassed the tendering process and awarded the contract directly to the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), which has also supplied plates in Punjab, KP, and Balochistan.
Chawla said the Excise Department is issuing three types of plates: white for private vehicles, yellow for commercial, and green for government use. The fee for vehicle plates is Rs2,450, and for motorcycles, Rs1,850.
“These new plates are crucial for security,” he added. “Market-made duplicates lack our security features and are unreadable by surveillance cameras.”
He further explained that Excise data is now integrated with Police and Traffic Police systems to trace tax defaulters and unregistered vehicles more efficiently. Of an estimated 5 million vehicles and bikes in Karachi, about 2 million have been registered with new plates since 2023. The first batch by NRTC produced 800,000 plates, followed by 1.2 million in the second.
The minister warned citizens against using middlemen or “agent mafia” operating outside Excise offices. “Strict action will be taken. We are operating through a one-window system,” he said.
Despite government efforts, delays persist. A bike owner, Sohail Khan, reported waiting over three months for his plate despite multiple visits to the Excise office. Another rider, Muhammad Faiz Ahmed, admitted using a duplicate plate due to distrust in the system’s efficiency.
Meanwhile, the All Pakistan Organisation of Small Traders has called on the Chief Justice of Sindh to take suo motu notice of what they allege is an Rs8 billion scam targeting Karachi’s citizens under the guise of Ajrak plates.
Chawla concluded by stating the department achieved its Rs20 billion revenue target in FY 2024–25, emphasizing that full enforcement of plate regulations is essential for urban safety.
