A petition has been filed in the Sindh High Court challenging the Sindh governments decision to replace existing vehicle registration number plates with newly designed ones featuring the traditional Sindhi Ajrak pattern.
The petition was submitted by social activist and Chairman of Karachi Nojawan Tehreek, Faizan Hussain. In the petition, Hussain contended that the provincial governments decision to mandate new number plates is creating unnecessary difficulties for the poor and working-class citizens of Karachi.
According to the petition, a recent notification issued by the Sindh government warned that vehicles without the new number plates would be confiscated. Faizan Hussain argued that citizens had already paid for their current number plates, which were issued by the government itself, and therefore, the authorities must provide the new plates free of cost.
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The petitioner further alleged that there is no legal justification for fines or vehicle confiscation due to the absence of the new plates. He claimed that the Motor Vehicle Department and Traffic Police have turned the new plate issuance into a commercial opportunity, charging citizens for the new plates despite long waiting periods from official sources.
He also highlighted growing complaints that government offices are delaying the issuance of the new plates for months, while traffic police continue to harass and penalize drivers unnecessarily.
Faizan Hussain urged the court to direct the Sindh government to provide the newly designed number plates free of charge and to immediately halt the imposition of fines and seizure of vehicles over this issue.
The petition named the Secretary of Excise and Taxation, the Motor Vehicle Registration Wing, and the DIG Traffic Karachi as respondents in the case.
