Zero registrations recorded since launch; Complex SOPs Deter Potential Applicants
A large number of vehicles are knocked down in a traffic jam on Ravi Road near Greater Iqbal Park on the third day of Basant celebration in the city. Photo: APP
RAWALPINDI:
A Punjab government initiative aimed at increasing 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 submitted for re-registration with the Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department, Rawalpindi Division. The authorities have already closed the counter dedicated to this purpose.
The scheme, 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 records have been recorded in Rawalpindi Division.
Bilal Khan, vice-president of the Automobile Dealers Association, attributed the failure to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs). He explained that applicants were required to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the home province, submit complete vehicle documentation, obtain a clearance certificate from that province and undergo verification which included an NOC 15 from the police in Punjab.
He noted that the long and complex process discouraged applicants. “If the procedure had been simpler (limited to submission of complete documents and a basic police check), the package could have been successful and generated millions of rupees in taxes and fees for the provincial government,” he said.
Officials from the Automobile Division of the Excise Department confirmed that no vehicle from another province has been re-registered during this period.
