The Islamabad High Court has directed the Islamabad Traffic Police not to immediately register criminal cases against citizens driving without a license. Instead, the court instructed that initial action should be taken through warnings and fines.
Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar remarked during the hearing that while criminal cases may be filed in cases of negligent or reckless driving, initiating a criminal case solely for not having a license would create an unnecessary legal burden and stigma for citizens. He said such cases lead to citizens’ names being added to criminal records, which can have long-term negative consequences.
During the hearing, CTO Islamabad Captain (R) Hamza Humayun informed the court that so far, no citizen has been charged for driving without a license. He added that following the awareness campaign, public response has been encouraging, with a record number of applications for driving licenses submitted over the past month.
The Chief Justice observed that if a citizen possesses a valid license but does not have a hard copy, they should be allowed to present a digital copy on their mobile phone. The court proposed linking the traffic system with NADRA’s digital verification system to enable online authentication of documents.
The court ruled that in cases where a citizen fails to present their license, the first step should be a fine and a warning. The petition was then disposed of.
