Recently, I was visiting Lahore on my Islamabad registered vehicle and soon after I entered the Ring Road, I was stopped by a Traffic Police Warden Mr. Asghar Ali at pole number 123 at around 4:20 p.m. on Saturday 26th-Oct-14. Upon inquiry, he told me that I will be fined as my number plate is not genuine. I got really annoyed and told him that number plate is in accordance to a format provided by Islamabad police. He insisted that it’s not genuine and that real one is metallic. Upon seeing me arguing, my father who happens to be a senior retired army officer stepped outside and bluntly told him that he will be reported and told me not to hand over my driving license as this is only a method of making underhand money.
Writer’s Note: The entire focus of this article is to highlight the harassment done by Traffic Police to non-residents on least significant of the issues. Recently I was fined at the Ring Road, Lahore for a non-issue. It’s a method used by police to accept bribes as they know that non-residents don’t have time to pursue such injustices. Old traffic police were replaced by new, to put an end to wrong practices. These incidents need to be reported in the hope for a corrective action by the authorities.
Upon seeing the situation, local police was called in by the traffic warden who politely requested my father that I cannot deny the Traffic Warden at moment but later can challenge him therefore we agreed to hand over the driving license to him and let him fine us.
After dropping my parents over to the relatives place, I went back to pay the fine money in accordance to ring road procedure where collecting staff told me that police Warden will keep one copy of receipt and will hand over the second to me. Correspondingly I proceeded to collect the driving license from the same traffic Warden at around 6:30 p.m. and their he inquired about social position of my father and I clearly told him that he definitely is going to write about this practice to the ring road authorities and will further send a copy to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and that’s a different story if Chief Minister will read it or not, or will take any action or will simply ignore it.
To my surprised, the officer refused to hand over the second receipt. I insisted that I need this and I am not walking away without as he is the one who is violating the standard operating procedures but he resorted to threaten that he will fine me again if I don’t leave and later he drove away leaving me on site at fix, that how can I be so stupid that I did not take a photocopy of it.
I feel that it’s our duty to report such cases as someone may find this illogical that one should not be fined based on the fact that number plate is metallic or plastic. If ever there exist such rules as then it opens doors of opportunities to be exploited for all the wrong reasons once they don’t give an eye to the most serious forms of the violations such as driving without a back lights, turning without indicator, over speeding, wrong overtaking, attending phone calls while driving etc. On my way to submit the fine, I stopped at few traffic police wardens on ring road to discuss why I was fined on this plate. All of them said that I should not had been fined as all Islamabad number plates bear the same format.
Number of people, with whom we discussed said the same thing, that he knew that we were the outsiders and don’t have time to pursue such cases as mostly people resort to it by giving underhand money and these incidents are very common and vice-versa for residents of other cities in Rawalpindi/Islamabad.
You can see the format of my number plate in the photos below:
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by the writer do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of PakWheels.com
thanks for posting this matter bro.
Whenever you travel specially to Lahore, please keep the original ones in your trunk as few days back I saw a notice in the newspaper by Excise Police Punjab that use the original number plates in the jurisdiction of Punjab otherwise you will be fined.These campaigns are few days and max for 1 month. No doubt all dept of Punjab police are corrupt and they neva listen to u.(UPAR SY ORDER HY) Pata nae yeh kaun sa oper hy?Kaun sa Big Boss Betha Jiska Naam bhe nae ata iney.
Chori aur seena zori isi ko kehtay haiN dost. Just because you dad is an
ex army man doesn’t mean that you can roam around where ever you want
with illegal number plates on. Its common in Karachi to get a ticket for
not putting up the GOS provided number plate. Grow up man. Stop
whining, admit your were at fault, feel sorry about it and move on.
definitely its not original (genuine) number plate,& I think you are wrong.
I agree our police needs drastic reforms and they need to be tamed and law enforcers. But don’t you think that WE the awam should also NOT break the law?
You should not have after market number plates IF it’s against the law. You clearly DO have non original number plates.
I hope Pakistanis stop breaking the law and threatening law enforcers when, for a change, they do their job right.
If such number plates are not allowed then why it’s sold openly?
Police must announce such laws and advertise them to create awareness.
Honestly I also didn’t knew about such thing that using duplicate number plate is not allowed.
I think brother you are wrong.. I was fined bcz i donot have original plates. I am from lahore. They are just doing their jobs.
Brother if you read newspaper. you will see advertisement like this. specially in lahore. I read many times..
This is the correct format for Islamabad registered vehicles. To all those who are saying “chori and seena zori”. I can only say you people are SICK!. His father is ex army man so what is the damn problem with you?. Poster is right over here by laws.
I recently got my car registered from Islamabad excise office 5 days back and plates issuing time is 1 month after registration date and I was told by authorities to use “EXACTLY” same format number plates. i.e black font with white background. If this car would had been lahore registered, then OP could be at wrong side but still predefined format is white background with black font.
Thumbs up to OP for bringing up this issue. If I were you, I would had reported this to authorities and should had called police department. This is plainly wrong.
I dont know about your number plates but “they don’t give an eye to the most serious forms of the violations such as driving without a back lights, turning without indicator, over speeding, wrong overtaking, attending phone calls while driving etc. ” This really is an important issue
Hmm I live in Islamabad so maybe that’s why I didn’t knew about it.
I think brother you are wrong.. I was fined bcz i donot have original plates. I am from lahore. They are just doing their jobs.
dude its not a
genuine plate
The author is probably right. I have Lahore registered car inlahore and have never er used original issued number plates. I have never been stopped or fined anywhere including Lahore, Islamabad or elsewhere. I think police is using this to reach their monthly quotas and fine non-residents as they don’t have time to challenge decisions.
Something similar happened to me when I went to Lahore from Islamabad this month. Got stopped for something that wasn’t my fault (FYI I never argue when I know I’m at fault). He had the fine all written up but I refused to leave without my license and cancelling the fine. In the end it took my lawyer uncle to settle the matter (I did not pay any fine. F*** da police!)
Bhai you need to have the original computerized metallic number plate that is provided by the registration authorities, not this bazaar made plastic plate that anyone can create. Which part of this simple statement you do not understand?
I have face similar situation last year, I just called him inside car hand over 500Rs and we are done there. Nothing complicated. Traditional Way to Treat Police -_-
I am living in Lahore for past 30 years and got fined just a couple of times (only on bike). But never got “challan” in a car because I always own a Lahore number plate but on the other hand when I visit some other city, I got busted by local traffic police but that also happen only once in ISB and once on motorway (for seat belt case).
there are a few reasons I personally noticed about WHY AN OUTSIDER GOT BUSTED?
1. Police have orders to specially check cars from another city.
2. Drivers have very little idea of local traffic and routs (specially One Way,s)
3. Blochistan number plates always prime target as maybe smuggled.
4. Sindh number plate? drivers usually never have documents and/or driving license.
Finally, a simple but funny advice for the writer Talha Waheed !
Get a set of Black number plate with WHITE writing (i.e ICT 349 and dont write islamabad) and whenever you come Lahore, use that black number plate. I know a guy who has a corolla in lahore with ISB number and this trick worked for him.
You are soo true that’s not only happening on the Ring Road but through out the city. Wardens are stopping every Non-Lahori vehicle for no reason. Strict actions should be taken against such irrelevant behavior of the Lahore Traffic Police!!…
WHY EX-CJ was not fined without Number plate car.What about MPA’s and MNA’s ,CM, PM using fake and bazar wala number plates?
This is the correct format for Isb regd cars.
Isb metal no. plates are useless bcoz they get fade very quickly.Even when we get a new one from E&T isb there are scratches on no. plates. Secondly I am using a lahore registd vehicle without org no. plates neva had this kind of experience in LAHORE and RWP.. Its still with E&T not delivered to me. Who is responsible in this scenario?
ALL current C series isb regd. vehicles dont have their org. no. plates (PLATE BAQIYA MARKED ON THOSE BOOKS) Everyone using so called bazaar wala plate. So who is responsible? One guy mentioned below ticket quota below.100% true.
i dont know whats the problem with the people and police. At the time of selling if org. no plate is not in good condition phr dramay shoro ho jatay hain k yeh tou kharab hy, ap ney plastic wali q nae lagae. 10-20k kam karonga for this.Kal ko mujh sy bikay ge nae. Any one of you will not accept the car without original no. plates.We all care for this thing. But we criticize on others just like police.
IF GOD FORBID gari ghom jae tou Police ka Muhrar Sahab kehtay org. documents andhar q rakhay thy janab and bazar wala (plastic) plate use q nae kia.We all know k Original No. Plates ziada misuse hoti hain.
PLEASE READ ALL THE ARTICLE, TALHA PAID HIS CHALLAN AT THE COLLECTION POINT.LINK JUGAR NAE KIA.
WHY EX-CJ was not fined without Number plate car.What about MPA’s and MNA’s ,CM, PM using fake and bazar wala number plates?
This is the correct format for Isb regd cars.
Isb metal no. plates are useless bcoz they get fade very quickly.Even when we get a new one from E&T isb there are scratches on no. plates. Secondly I am using a lahore registd vehicle without org no. plates neva had this kind of experience in LAHORE and RWP.. Its still with E&T not delivered to me. Who is responsible in this scenario?
ALL current C series isb regd. vehicles don’t have their org. no. plates (PLATE BAQIYA MARKED ON THOSE BOOKS) Everyone using so called bazaar wala plates. So who is responsible? One guy mentioned below ticket quota below.100% true.
i dont know whats the problem with the people and police. At the time of selling if org. no plates are not in good condition phr dramay shoro ho jatay hain k yeh tou kharab hy, ap ney plastic wali q nae lagae. 10-20k kam karonga for this.Kal ko mujh sy bikay ge nae. Any one of you will not accept the car without original no. plates in good condition.We all care for this thing. But we criticize on others just like police.
IF GOD FORBID gari ghom jae tou Police ka Muhrar Sahab kehtay org. documents andhar q rakhay thy janab and bazar wala (plastic) plate use q nae kia.We all know k Original No. Plates ziada misuse hoti hain.
PLEASE READ ALL THE ARTICLE, TALHA PAID HIS CHALLAN AT THE COLLECTION POINT.LINK JUGAR NAE KIA.
Least significant among issues, even though if it’s a law. Similar episode is reported here by a member. Complicating things don’t work, once you aim to control the most serious forms of violations. It’s on a format we see every day in Islamabad.
https://www.pakwheels.com/forums/vehicle-documentation-registration-import-lease/242752-islamabad-registration-number-plate-problem
Sorry buddy, but this is wrong number plate. They have conveyed this through media several times that only original mattalic number plates would be accepted and not the “sample” number plates. This plate is not original but a sample one
I live in Islamabad and i have seen such advertisement several times in newspaper and on media. This number plate is not genuine and against the law
It’s my fault. I don’t read newspaper 🙁
you cant blame traffic police as your number plates was not genuine in first plate….font doesn’t matter.
Warden are authorized to challan if your number plates are other than issued by excise department.
I was once stopped before entering Motorway with customises ISB # plate, made according to my liking-
CF black background with white cursive writing.
I was stopped, had no license ( that’s another story ) and was going to get fined 750.- rupees.
I asked him to think twice- I have not yet received my # plates, since it was a slow procedure a few months back and that he could talk to the leasing company, since they were responsible for handing over the # plates.
I was let off.
guys, there is no rule that you have to use metallic
plate given by registration authority.
In Lahore you can see on road only 30% cars are using it. Most of the
official cars are using plastic ones. Well I am a concerned citizen, I called
traffic police 042-1915 and asked them is there any rule, and I was surprised
he was unaware, initially he said yes by law you have to use govt issued
plates, but when I asked where is the law, is it published on traffic police
site or anywhere else. He had no answer and he told me that I can use any
plastic number plate with standard font size.
So guys this is still vague and yes they can
use this for making money. Law should be simple and for all.
Chill out my friend. Nobody is sick here. It’s merely a classic case of general problem that the whole nation is suffering from, that I am correct and everyone else is wrong. As many people mentioned here, original plate issued by Government authorities needs to be put on, format is not important.
Give comprehending the basic issue a try, believe me its not that difficult. Secondly unlike your case, author has nowhere mentioned that his car is new and original number plates were not issued so he had no choice. The premise of his whole ranting in balck & white is “I was using the plastic plates made in same color scheme”. I’d advise you’d better not assume things here. This fellow fails to understand or admit that he is at fault.
Secondly why did he mention that his father is an ex-army man in the article. Why do all ex-forces man mention this fact wherever they go or whatever they do. Tell me honestly, what purpose did this mentioning fulfill here. They must have mentioned it to the poor traffic warden to pressurize him as well that I am an ex-army man, so don’t take panga with me. I do have damn problem with this mentality brother. Can’t help it.
These policemen are nothing less than crooked thieves. I got fined in lahore 2 weeks ago. It was a Sunday morning and i was just leaving for Islamabad. The police officer stopped me for over speeding. I told him i am from Isb and driving back home. how would i collect my license from lahore on Monday. He then immediately offered to do a fori challan (immediate challan), i had no idea if anything like that exists and i paid him the money. He then refused to give me a bill copy and the reason given was there is no copy for the driver. Two copies are for the bank and other one for the police officer.
Later i got to know it was all a fraud. There is no such thing as fori challan in first place and no system in place to accommodate payments from outside visitors who get fined.
There is no such law. If yes please provide reference. You just need to have the license plate in standard format.
Almost same thing happened to me when i was going to Murree this year with family, on the Express Way toll plaza a police officer stopped me and asked why i did not put on the original number plates, i told him that original number plates stealing is very common these days, the original number plates can be sold out for upto 5k. But he continuous to argue, then i showed him the original number plates which were in my car trunk for any mishap of this type but he was still arguing that you should put on the original ones no matter what. and then he go throw the whole car and then said your rare (tail) lights and rear screen is also tinted. I had put a 25% black(the least available in market) paper tints on them, half on rear screen and full on Cultus tail lights. Then he start arguing on this thing too. I understand that he has to take money in anyway. So i didnt ask him for bribe but rather to do a challan for it. He then gave me a ticket or rupees 300. I pay the ticket on sight (in their Hi-Roof Wan) and got the receipt.
If there is any confusion the police can ask for the registration papers which will identify if the plates are fake or not … period. The standard registration plates do not fit (at least in front) of most cars and will get bended and obstructs the air inflow. Getting plastic plates which fits the plate size is natural and as long the color and script is clear it should be accepted. Again, if the police have any confusion they can always check the registration papers.
Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965 and the relevant Motor Vehicles Rules 1969 (amended upto date)
I am amazed at your statement that there is no such law. I’m sure you may have noticed this in other countries also, since this is not unique to Pakistan or Lahore. Drivers all over the world are required to display only the authentic original machine created metallic number plates, that have embossed seal and numbers. I’m sure you understand the logic behind it. This eliminates the possibility of fake number plate usage, since the original metallic plates are issued only once.
Just a few points
(a) Just because everyone else is using the plastic number plates it does not make them legal. This is akin to saying oh everyone was stealing so should I
(b) His father is an ex army man and instead of threatening the policeman, he should have respected his authority. Acting like a (former) big shot is just plain cheap
(c) Even if the cop was wrong, which he is not, the proper procedure is to challenge this in court. You would follow it if you were in Canada, US, UAE etc. but of course not in Pakistan which is really amazing specially for literate people, which you seem to be
(d) The cop did not ask for any bribe. He was just doing his duty. Respect him. Do not threaten him with things such as the CM will know. It just goes to show how cheap you
(e) Learn the law, follow the law and respect the law.
Why did police warden not handed back the receipt, I guess there was nothing to be afraid of. Author anyway paid the fine, even I would had been surprised as number plate seems in pattern obviously
one has right to be shown written instructions that it’s a violation which warden failed to do and this is not even mentioned on their website. Talha clearly said that if it’s a violation then it’s a least significant and being fined on it seems biased once every vehicle in Lahore city is being seen without a non metallic number plate. These sorts of checks should only be allowed within city of registration by her police rather than being enforced in other cities which does not makes any sense.
News postdated year 2010, shows that you can use both one either received from ETO office or the plastic one made on pattern for ict cars.
http://www.demonplates.com/news/vehicle-campaign.php
and
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ITP+urges+motorists+to+avoid+using+non-pattern+number+plates.-a0233328377
News post year 2014,
which says only one issued by ETO
http://www.dawn.com/news/1138059/campaign-against-unauthorised-number-plates
Who is responsible for this confusion?
same thing happened with me yesterday ,
me and my parents were travelling in our isb regd APV at Lahore mall road (we live in isb) while a police officer stopped us and told us that we crossed a red line and that we were not allowed to go straight ahead we told him that we are from ISLAMABAD and did not know the way. after a long quarrel the police officer gave my dad his lisence back took 500 rupees without even giving him the challan receipt
Fawad Hassan, Tinted glasses are also not allowed but still u can have tinted glasses & u can be fined..
He might have done something wrong, but in my very humble opinion why don’t we put the original number plates issued by the authorities, correct or incorrect format does not matter, to me they are not original. No offence meant.
Dear Talha,
If I was you I definitely would not be having these plates on the car.
If you look at the 1st picture, it clearly shows that the size is quite small as compared to the standard one issued by the registration authority, hence the size of letters etc.
As regards to who does what, some of us should uphold the Law. May be this would lead to the “Law abiding Naya Pakistan”.
Close view is fine but dear actually it is not according to standards, there is no point to be offended … just respect the law and change the plate. as you mentioned your father as a senior army officer so u should represent his position practically rather than arguing or giving examples of others for doing the same as well
Bro corruption starts from us. U should ask him to issue a challan ticket rather then a bribe u have paid.
Brother i just cant express my feelings and respect to u. You have got a wonderful mind and thought Masha Allah. May Allah Bless such parents who gave birth and taught u what may not be taught to others.
Thumbs up
Dear brother it is a clear cut voilation in d codes of motorway police and local traffic wardens. They are so called improper number plates (gher namoona). On which they are being fined or challaned.
I totally agree with umar.
sorry islamabad bross u r 100% wrong & ur father retired from best group but he is also wrong because LAW is to put METAL no PLATES ok u r wrong & don’t push rules on GREAT LAHORE & especially on HONEST OFFICER’S we are the nation so PLZ FOLLW RULE & LAW no one above then law
As per my observation and my personal experience. Few months before i purchase a van TRH-224 Hi-ace Grand Cabin. with commercial number and i started the Taxi service for special booking.
I go to Route permit office to get route for all Punjab. They told that there is no rule to get whole Punjab Route permit For AC VAN. I said that if i am offering taxi service and might be passenger go any where so how can i mange that. But they said they can offer only one side route permit only. i take one side route permit but when i go to anywhere might be via bypass our Brave wardens got Callahan each time.
Second one problem when i go to driving licence office and ask for PST licence there is no option only i can get the LTV driving licence. But when i am driving van at each chowk traffic wardens ask that how you can drive Van with out PST licence. Although i have driving experience of 22 years and the driving licence office take test over hundi Sha`Zoor. but i can not get licence nor route of whole Punjab why??
i follow all rules and regulations but again i am volition of rules according to traffic law. and this problem is not only me more than hundred of users having same problem with commercial transport. Even people are disappointed and not willing to continue this business cause of misbehavior of Traffic wardens and rules. All people providing great revenue to Govt. But did not get rewarded any benefits.
Would you please think about this serious issue and try to solve this.
Thanks,
Regards,
Naveed Akhtar