KARACHI – The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) issued a clarification late Sunday night, denying the approval of a council resolution that sought to oppose the city’s recently launched e-challan system and its heavy fines. The statement came after chaos erupted in Friday’s council session, where the resolution—submitted by Opposition Leader Saifuddin Advocate—was reportedly passed unanimously under Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad’s chairmanship.
According to the KMC, the resolution had not undergone proper debate or scrutiny as required under council rules. “A routine administrative mistake resulted in the document being signed, which made it look as if the resolution had been approved,” the corporation explained, adding that the matter will be revisited in the next meeting for formal discussion and decision.
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Opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, PTI, and PPP, rejected the clarification, claiming the resolution was legitimately presented and debated. A spokesperson for Saifuddin Advocate accused the provincial government of exerting pressure after seeing the council’s united stance. He added that Mayor Murtaza Wahab should prioritize Karachi’s interests over political alignment, calling the claim of an accidental signature “unprecedented.”
The controversy comes days after Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah inaugurated the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS)—a fully automated, AI-powered e-ticketing system aimed at digitizing traffic management. The system, which replaces manual ticketing with CCTV-based violation detection, was hailed as a step toward transparency and road safety. However, technical errors and inflated fines—up to Rs50,000—have sparked anger among citizens, who complain of wrongful challans and discriminatory penalties compared to other cities.
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As public pressure mounts, the Sindh government has announced that motorists’ first e-challan will be waived as a goodwill gesture. Meanwhile, legal challenges are brewing, with the Markazi Muslim League filing a petition in the Sindh High Court against the e-challan system, claiming it violates citizens’ rights and disproportionately burdens Karachi’s residents. The growing unrest underscores the urgent need for both transparency in governance and accountability in digital reforms.