KARACHI, Pakistan — The Karachi Traffic Police issued more than 93,000 electronic fines in the first 30 days of the city’s new Karachi e-challan enforcement program, according to data released in late November. Officials say the camera-driven system is meant to improve road safety and reduce roadside discretion, Jan. 5, 2026.
The Karachi e-challan rollout sits inside Sindh’s wider Safe City push, using automated number-plate recognition to generate tickets backed by photo or video evidence. Traffic police say 1,076 cameras were installed in the first phase on major corridors, with plans to expand to as many as 12,000 cameras across Karachi and at toll plazas.
Karachi e-challan numbers: what 93,000 tickets show
The first-month tally was driven by common, easily captured violations. A Karachi Traffic Police report cited by Aaj English TV said motorists were fined more than Rs710 million in that period, led by seat belt and helmet offenses.
Seat belts: More than 57,500 tickets
Helmets: 22,257 tickets
Red lights: 3,102 tickets
Heavy-vehicle speeding: 1,188 tickets detected through trackers on dumpers, trailers and water tankers
How to pay a Karachi e-challan and the 50% discount window
Under the rules outlined in Dawn’s explainer of the Karachi e-challan system, tickets are sent to the registered owner’s address, with a 21-day payment deadline. Motorists who pay within 14 days receive a 50% discount, while unpaid fines can double on the 22nd day. Drivers who believe a Karachi e-challan was issued in error can file an appeal at designated traffic police desks, where committees review camera evidence.
Heavy-vehicle trackers mandated
Heavy transport is being singled out for stricter oversight. When the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) went live, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Traffic Peer Muhammad Shah said heavy vehicles — including trucks, dumpers, trailers, tankers and large buses — must install trackers linked to the DIG Traffic Office. In The Express Tribune’s report on the launch, Shah said the system automatically issues tickets if a heavy vehicle exceeds 30 km/h, and that operating without a tracker from Nov. 1 can draw a Rs100,000 fine; speeding tickets for such vehicles can reach Rs20,000 each.
Why the Karachi e-challan crackdown is drawing heat
For many commuters, the dispute is less about whether rules matter than whether penalties fit Karachi’s realities. In an Arab News report on the backlash, low-income driver Hajji Muhammad Arshad said the new fines are “like death” for workers living month to month. The report also cited police arguments that higher penalties are meant to deter dangerous driving and were enabled by recent changes to traffic law.
Political pressure is now pushing the policy in the other direction. The Sindh government agreed in late December to lower some of the heavy traffic fines for motorcyclists and vehicles up to 1,000cc after a special Sindh Assembly committee meeting, according to The Express Tribune. Opposition Leader Ali Khursheedi told lawmakers that higher fines alone will not fix traffic without working signals, clear lane markings and transparent enforcement.
Older reporting shows this shift has been years in the making
The Karachi e-challan debate is tied to a surveillance project that has repeatedly stalled and restarted. Dawn reported in December 2018 that a Safe City pilot was being reactivated after delays, and in October 2020 that the provincial government was again urging rapid implementation of a plan first conceived in 2011.
As expansion continues, the city’s next test is whether Karachi e-challan enforcement is paired with the basics residents say are missing — functioning signals, road markings and safer heavy-vehicle operations — rather than relying on punishment alone.
