Over 300,000 car buyers in Pakistan's Sindh wait for number plates since 2016

It's been five years since 2016, more than 300,000 car buyers in Pakistan's Sindh province have been waiting for vehicle number plates, reports ANI. The total amount of money deposited to the government coffer by these vehicle buyers amount to more than 300 million Pakistani rupees. However, despite depositing the money, they are yet to receive the vehicle number plates which means they are unable to drive on roads for five years.

The report claims that this issue came to the light during a meeting held recently between car dealers, importers and officials of the excise and taxation department. As it says, the country's excise department had already collected 1,000 Pakistani rupees from each vehicle owner during the time of registration.

According to the Automotive Traders and Importers Association (ATIA), the non-issuance of the vehicle number plates has been lingering since 2016 and has become a serious problem for car buyers. The report has cited an excise and taxation official, who said that vehicles' number plates with new design had been approved and the backlog issue would be ended in March this year.

The Sindh provincial government in Pakistan is reportedly planning to introduce a new biometric system of registration and transfer of vehicles. The biometric system of registration and transfer of vehicles would be introduced at a later stage soon.

ATIA has further said that the new number plates with the Sindh province's traditional Ajrak's border on top of it will be coming with increased rates of 1,800 Pakistani rupees instead of 1,000 rupees. According to the agency, the existing computer system had become outdated and was advised to be replaced with a new system.