Sindh Ajrak Number Plates are Now Mandatory! Excise Department Sets Deadline to Ban Old Plates

The Sindh Excise and Taxation Department announced that old and fake vehicle number plates will not be valid after August 14, 2025. Vehicle owners must obtain official number plates or a token from the Excise Department to avoid fines.

Sindh Excise Minister Mukesh Kumar Chawla told Hamariweb that no challans will be issued regarding number plates until August 14, allowing citizens time to comply. The new Ajrak-designed number plates feature advanced security features and are part of the Safe City Project.

The Ajrak number plate introduced in 2021 and made publicly available in 2022. From 2022 to 2025, the department has issued 2 million plates across Sindh, including 1.2 million for motorcycles and 800,000 for private and commercial vehicles.

The Excise Department has 20,000+ new plates ready and is currently issuing only security-featured plates for new vehicles and motorcycles. Owners of older vehicles issued tokens, which will exempt them from number plate-related challans.

A dedicated online system for number plate tracking and vehicle registration is active. Number plates produced by NTRC, which also manufactures for Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Payments made directly to National Bank accounts, monitored by the State Bank of Pakistan, minimizing corruption risk.

Chawla confirmed that these new plates connected to Safe City cameras. When scanned, the system fetches full vehicle data, which helps in traffic monitoring and prevents criminal misuse.

The public advised to avoid fake number plates or unauthorized vendors. Only the government has the authority to issue number plates, which are now mandatory for safety, registration, and traffic system integration.

To manage increasing demand, the Motor Registration Wing at Civic Centre Karachi will remain open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 AM to 4 PM. These days reserved for ownership transfers, number plate issuance, and fee submissions.