KARACHI: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh Ghulam Haider Jamali has granted a one-month extension for drivers without licences as well those with fake licences.
The Karachi traffic police had yesterday decided to offending drivers from Monday (today).
Taking serious notice of mismanagement and reported police excesses at driving licence branches in Karachi, the IGP ordered an immediate inquiry into the matter, said a statement issued by his office on Monday.
However, violations will be dealt with according to the existing traffic laws, rules and regulations, the statement added.
The spokesperson of Sindh Police clarified that traffic violations and punishments would not be above the law, rules and regulations.
Meanwhile, Additional IG Traffic Khadim Hussain Bhatti has ordered free-of-cost distribution of forms for driving licences among people, adding that strict action would be taken against those who ask for money.
The additional IG has further ordered to increase working hours of all driving licence branches in Karachi by two hours. The new timings of the licence offices will be 9am to 7pm and offices will remain open on Saturdays.
Further, Sindh Interior Minister Sohail Anwar Sial endorsed the decision to halt arrests for a month and ordered an inquiry against three driving licence branches over alleged mismanagement.
The Karachi traffic police launched several crackdowns this year, which included the helmet-compulsory drive, action against substandard Compress Natural Gas (CNG) cylinders in public and school vans, action against violation of rules and traffic signals, action against violation of one-way traffic, against traveling on the rooftops of public buses and coaches and juvenile drivers.
Unfortunately, these crackdowns have not yielded fruitful results and the latest campaign against drivers without licences is feared to be another exercise in futility.
