Ajrak plates backlog: motorcyle applications for July could soon cross 100,000

Sindh’s Motor Registration (MR) Wing Excise and Taxation (E&T) Department receieved 60,000 applications for new Ajrak motorcycle number plates during the first three weeks of July, while some 90,000 four-wheeler plates, ready since 2022, languish in their offices.

Owners of vehicles are unwilling to collect these plates for reasons that are unclear, although one may be that they are looking to sell their vehicles and want to pass the responsibility on to the new owner.

Meanwhile, the high number of motorcycle plate applications can be linked to a campaign launched by the Sindh traffic police to strictly implement traffic rules and regulations. These includes a requirement to have an original security featured number plate (which come with a price tag of Rs1850 for bikes and Rs2450 for cars) as well as a Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) smart card, which has a standard cost of Rs1600.

Middle-class people who can afford a motorcycle for commuting claim to be distraught because of the crackdown though they might find some relief in the fact that if they had paid a plate registration fee in the past, this amount will be deducted from the cost of a new plate.

The E&T department has extended the deadline for the number plates till August 14, and it may be extended further still.

According to officials of the Sindh Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department, the department has registered 9 million vehicles including four and two wheelers since the 1970s.

It has issued approximately 2 million new security featured number plates since 14 April, 2022 including ones with the Ajrak design.

The National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) under the Ministry of Defence Production is handling the Karachi Safe City (KSC) project and number plates of vehicles.

Upgraded high-resolution cameras with top-notch capability and equipment by the NRTC can read and detect special security features on the number plates.

Dealing with high volumes of applications

Talking to Business Recorder, an official of the department said 295 bike owners applied for number plates in May 2025 and 10,000 in June. In the first three weeks of July, the department recieved a further 61,000 applications, and the figure may cross 100,000 by the end of July.

“How is it possible to complete the orders at one time?,” he said.

“We have a capacity of preparing between 2,500 to 5,000 number plates of both two and four wheelers a day. We have to manage number plates of the old/backlog and new/advanced registered vehicles. Owing to substantial pressure, we are printing plates in Karachi, Lahore and Haripur,” he said.

To deal with the backlog, a 24/7 centre was opened recently at Boat Basin, while two centres already exist in Awami Markaz, Shahrah-e-Faisal and Civic Centre and are open from 9am to 5pm excluding Saturdays and Sundays.

Most recently, a counter has been set up in the Karachi Press Club (KPC) by the Sindh Excise and Taxation Department to provide facilities to journalists. It has been operational for members of the KPC since Monday (today).

Services include payment of car annual tax, as well as issuance of both car and motorbike number plates.

The entire system will be streamlined within one or two years and then there will be no need for new centres in the port city, officials have said. The E&T department is also offering online facilities such as applying for number plates and paying taxes.

To deal with shortage of staff, the motor registration of E&T Department has absorbed some 200 staff from other departments. This includes the property tax department, whose work was handed over to local bodies around a year back. The government has put professional tax and entertainment duty on hold for a year to give relief to people, and the staff from these units has also been adjusted into the motor registration (MR) wing of the E&T Department.