ISLAMABAD – E-tagging of bikes and motorcycles in the federal capital has been challenged before the Islamabad High Court (IHC),
A local lawyer Isa Shah moved the petition and challenged the decision about e-tagging all the motorcycles in the city.
IHC Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar had to take up the case but he was not available due to his unavailability.
The registrar office said that a new date for hearing of the case would be issued.
Pakistan’s capital city Islamabad has stepped up security like never before. Authorities are rolling out a massive security and surveillance initiative that will touch every resident and every vehicle in the city. Starting from November 18, all cars, motorcycles and incoming vehicles are required to have e-tags, while residents provide detailed personal information to the district administration and police.
The district administration has set up multiple designated points across Islamabad where citizens can obtain mandatory e-tag stickers for their vehicles. Islamabad DC Irfan Memon stressed that citizens will be fully informed ahead of time to avoid any hassle. He stressed that these stickers can only be obtained from official centers.
The sweeping move comes after Judicial Complex suicide attack, prompting authorities to launch a “Secure Neighborhood” survey. Under this survey, every household in Islamabad will provide detailed personal data, including names, addresses, CNIC numbers, and information about all household staff. Residents will also need to indicate whether their homes are owned or rented.
To facilitate this, the administration released ICT Household Survey app, available on both the Play Store and Apple Store. Citizens are encouraged to download the app and begin their registration. From November 17, district teams will visit homes to verify data, equipped with tablets for on-the-spot entry. Those who have already submitted their information will not need to resubmit.
This initiative is supposed to not only cover Islamabad-registered vehicles, but will extend to vehicles from other provinces, making e-tagging mandatory for all traffic entering the city. The goal: unprecedented levels of security, traffic management and surveillance.
Authorities have to use Google Maps to track every home’s data submission status, allowing them to know exactly which households have complied.
While this digitization and e-tagging initiative is praised as a major step toward modernized city management, the experts warn of challenges.
As citizens praised the motive, expers raised questions that collecting such sensitive data is not without risks, citing past incidents in Pakistan where government databases were leaked or misused. The authorities must ensure the data is secure and strictly used for official purposes, or the initiative could backfire.
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