Ban on pillion riding tightened in Karachi

KARACHI: The police in port city on Sunday registered 57 first information reports (FIRs) and arrested 124 people for violating the ban on pillion riding, while dozens of others were given strict warnings.

The ban on pillion riding was announced on Saturday. A notification from the Sindh Home Department stated, "A strict ban/restriction on pillion riding is imposed without any exceptions, whatsoever."

The city police chief Additional Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon said that police in the metropolis stopped and checked some 3,284 motorbikes.

Police in the South Zone stopped and checked 1,103 motorbikes, while police in the East and West Zones checked 1,189 and 992 bikes respectively.

Among these motorbike riders, 124 were arrestedwhile 3,205 others were issued a “strict warning”. Memon said the police “preferred to either warn or issue challans (tickets) to people riding with women and children”. However, he added that even police officers who violated the ban were been spared.