Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Justice SM Attique Shah has directed judicial officers across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to stop using green government number plates on their vehicles amid security concerns in the province.
The directive was issued as part of precautionary measures aimed at protecting judges, judicial officers and other court staff in view of the prevailing law and order situation.
Following the chief justice’s instructions, the Registrar’s Office issued a letter to all district and sessions judges and additional registrars of the high court benches across the province.
The letter directed authorities to closely monitor the movement of judges in coordination with regional police officers and take necessary steps to strengthen their security.
As part of the measures, judicial officers have been instructed not to use green government number plates on their vehicles.
The Registrar’s Office also called for changes to the official working hours of judges and other court employees, with staggered and varied timings where necessary.
All relevant authorities have been directed to strictly implement the security measures to ensure the safety of judicial officers, district judges and other court staff.
On the other hand, the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department of Punjab eliminated the necessity to inspect official number plates on vehicles and motorcycles, as well as to impose fines based on this requirement.
In a notification regarding number plates, the department has declared that the public will no longer face unjust penalties from the traffic police in this matter.
Punjab Excise Department has made it clear that it is not currently producing official number plates during the registration of vehicles and motorcycles.
With a backlog of hundreds of thousands of plates, vehicle owners are now allowed to have number plates manufactured independently from the open market, as long as they adhere strictly to the design approved by the government.
Consequently, Punjab traffic police have been instructed to immediately stop issuing challans or imposing fines related to number plates on vehicles and motorcycles, effective from Saturday.
