ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s capital police warned on Wednesday anyone engaging in aerial firing on New Year’s Eve in Islamabad could face jail time, as authorities deployed more than 350 traffic officers to ensure public safety and smooth traffic flow.

Around eight special traffic squads have been formed to curb one-wheeling and rash driving, according to Pakistani state media. The report quoted an Islamabad traffic police spokesperson urging parents to prevent minors from underage driving.

New Year’s Eve in Pakistan sees heightened security in major cities such as Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, with authorities increasing police presence to control incidents like aerial firing that have caused deaths in the past.

“Whoever fires in the air will go straight to jail,” said the law enforcement department in a post on X. “Islamabad Police will take strict action against those who fire in the air.”

The post said the police were “determined to ensure security and traffic flow on the occasion of the New Year.”

“One-wheeling is a crime that inevitably results in lifelong disability or loss of precious lives,” it added.

According to a report by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), heavy vehicles will be barred from entering Islamabad between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m. It added that parking on roads will be prohibited, and police will remain on duty throughout the night.

Aerial firing is a common but dangerous practice in Pakistan during celebrations, and it has caused several fatalities in the past.

More than 20 people including two women were injured in multiple incidents of aerial firing in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on the last New Year’s Eve.

According to data compiled by Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed, 19 people were injured due to aerial firing in 2020, 11 in 2021, 20 in 2022, 40 in 2023 and 26 in 2024.