Fancy number plates, pressure horns banned in Karachi

In the wake of the Sindh High Court's orders, Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon Thursday notified a ban to be imposed on the buying and selling of pressure horns, unauthorised/fancy number plates, and tinted glasses for vehicles under Section 144 (6) CrPC in Karachi.

According to a notification issued by the city's commissioner office, the ban has been imposed for two months with directives of action to be taken against violators under section 188 PPC.

The city administration has also placed a ban on the sale and use of unauthorised hooters, sirens, and revolving bar lights.

The notification was issued following orders of the Sindh High Court (SHC) in which it directed the Karachi DIG traffic to publish a public notice in newspapers for the removal of said articles from vehicles.

The notification was signed by Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon who, in compliance with the SHC's order, said that a complete ban will be imposed on the sale, purchase and use of the aforementioned articles in the port city starting from December 31, 2022 to March 1, 2023.

A decision has also been taken to conduct a large-scale crackdown against those violating the ban.

The city's commissioner has directed the deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner to ensure the implementation of the prohibition.

All the DCs have been instructed to immediately file cases against all those guilty of a violation.

"The Deputy Commissioners and Assistant Commissioners of Karachi Division are hereby authorised to take action against the violators in coordination with the concerned Senior Superintendent of Police, Karachi and get the violators booked under section 188 PPC in writing in the concerned Police Stations against the violation of this notification," the notification read.

Last week, the provincial top court's division bench issued the orders after hearing a petition against heavy vehicles plying on roads in residential areas of the city during the day.

The division bench — headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar — asked the DIG traffic what action had been taken against the issue and directed him to publish a public notice in leading newspapers within three days against the use, sale and purchase of the items. The bench sought a compliance report from the officer in this regard.