No more arrests, FIRs on one-way traffic violations in Karachi

KARACHI: Police in Karachi will no longer arrest or book drivers violating the one-way rule, the Sindh government said on Friday, only weeks after police launched a crackdown against traffic law offenders in the city.

Earlier this month, Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon had announced a city-wide operation against traffic law offenders driving the wrong way on Karachi's one-way streets. Since then, hundreds of drivers have been arrested and booked under Section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Pakistan Penal Code for violating the one-way rule.

But the chief minister's law adviser Murtaza Wahab has now said that the Sindh government had not been taken into confidence about the matter and, therefore, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had been concerned about the move.

Wahab said that, starting from February 1, traffic police in Karachi will no longer arrest violators of the one-way rule or register first information reports (FIR) against them. He advised citizens to continue obeying traffic rules.

The announcement came after Wahab earlier contacted the additional inspector-general (AIG) of police for Sindh over the issue of arrests.

AIG Sindh has given his assurance, the adviser said, adding that people also needed to heed traffic rules and regulations.