Zero registrations recorded since launch; Complex SOPs deter potential applicants
A large number of vehicles are hit in traffic jam on Ravi Road near Grand Iqbal Park on the third day of Basant celebration in the city. Photo: APP
RAWALPINDI:
A Punjab government initiative to raise revenue by offering re-registration of vehicles from other provinces has failed to gain traction.
Since its launch in November 2025, not a single vehicle registered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan or Azad Kashmir has been presented for re-registration to the Department of Excise, Taxes and Narcotics Control, Rawalpindi Division. The authorities have now closed the dedicated counter created for this purpose.
The system, introduced by the Punjab government, allowed owners of vehicles registered in other regions to re-register them in Punjab. However, five months later, no such record has been recorded in Rawalpindi division.
Bilal Khan, vice-president of the Motor Car Dealers Association, attributed the failure to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs). He explained that applicants had to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the home province, submit complete vehicle documents, obtain a clearance certificate from that province and undergo verification, including a NOC from Police 15 in Punjab.
He stressed that the long and complex process discouraged candidates. “If the procedure had been simpler – limited to submission of complete documents and basic police verification – the project could have succeeded and generated millions of rupees in taxes and fees for the provincial government,” he said.
Officials of the Automobile Directorate of the Excise Department confirmed that no vehicles from any other province were re-registered during this period.
