E-challan confusion: Karachi man fined for Quetta vehicle's traffic violation

KARACHI (Dunya News) - A Karachi resident has unexpectedly received a Rs10,000 e-challan for a traffic violation committed by a vehicle registered in Quetta.

According to details, the e-challan was sent to the owner of a Karachi-registered car bearing number AAR-540, which had already been reported stolen. However, during verification, authorities discovered that the violation was not committed by the stolen Karachi vehicle, but by a Quetta-registered car using the same number plate.

Officials said the Quetta vehicle, also carrying registration number AAR-540, committed a seatbelt violation on Hub Road. Because both vehicles carry identical number plates, the automated system mistakenly issued the fine to the Karachi owner.

Police further stated that the make and model of the stolen Karachi vehicle and the Quetta vehicle are entirely different, confirming that the number duplication led to the incorrect challan.

Authorities added that the issue stems from the fact that vehicle registration in Balochistan is not fully digitised, making it difficult for Karachi’s automated challan system to verify registrations across provinces.

The lack of an integrated national vehicle database is becoming a growing challenge, particularly in cases involving stolen vehicles and duplicate plates.

Police officials have urged for improved inter-provincial coordination and digital registration systems to prevent such incidents in the future.