ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has decided to issue driving licenses to only those applicants having address of Islamabad on their Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs).
The SSP (Traffic)) Malik Matloob said this step has been taken to discourage corruption and illegal agents (locally called Taut who offer their CNICs to unknown persons against money and help get the license in connivance with the officials).
The basic purpose, he said, is to discourage such agents who used to make 15-20 affidavits on their single CNIC.
From onward, it has been made mandatory that applicant should have address of Islamabad on his or her CNICs.
Earlier on behalf of the applicants from other than Islamabad districts, an affidavit was submitted by his or her relative, friend or blood relations belonging to Islamabad (addressee of Islamabad) that both know each other and the signatory of the affidavit took the responsibility of applicant.
Last week, the SSP (Traffic) Malik Matloob directed his staff not to allow applicants having other than Islamabad address on their CNIC to enter in the premises of ITP office.
Hundreds of applicants from various districts had to desperately return from ITP office with complaints that such orders should be at least made public through some media and then restrictions be imposed.
Driving License of Islamabad is issued by the office of Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic). A person has to obtain a learner permit, issued by the same licensing authority mentioned above, and complete the mandatory 6-week training period before he or she can apply for a regular license to drive.
The person needs to appear for a test on the date assigned and a regular license is issued for a period of 5 years upon successful completion of the driving test.
It has been declared now that person not having address of Islamabad on his/her CNIC would be issued neither learner permit nor regular driving license.
Referring to Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), he said that any employer in Islamabad can confirm about his employees through affidavit serving there from other districts. Such persons with affidavit of their department within Islamabad or holding card of their office in Islamabad can apply for the license.
On the other hand, applicants said that imposing overall ban on those from other districts especially adjoining districts of Islamabad was very much odd. Many of them were of the view that it was the high-tech era and such agents can be detected easily as well as such misuse should have been stopped.
They were of the view that there should be a system in place that anyone offering his/her CNIC to more than 2-3 persons can be easily traced by the traffic police staff entering data of applicant on computer during license issuance process.
The driving license issued by ITP contains special security features inscribed in it. The license cannot be forged or tampered by anybody and all the specifications of the license holder are imprinted in the license.
A police source said that as many as 500-600 applicants visit ITP office daily for getting driving licenses and the department is issuing around 150 licenses daily on average.
“If the issuance of fresh licenses have been confined for only citizens or job holders of Islamabad, revenue of ITP will not only come down but large number of labour going abroad would also suffer,” the source added.
Source: APP
