KARACHI: Traffic police in Pakistan’s bustling port city of Karachi have been instructed not to issue speeding tickets to commuters during the evening rush hours ahead of the fast-breaking iftar meal, the city’s traffic police chief said on Wednesday.
Traffic volume on the main thoroughfares of Karachi, a city of over 20 million people, usually surges around 6pm in the evening until 9pm as people return to their houses from work. During Ramadan, traffic peaks between 5 p.m. and iftar time a little after 6pm as people rush home to eat after a long day of fasting.
“Traffic police have been instructed to refrain from issuing any challans [tickets] from 5pm until iftar, focusing instead on facilitating smoother traffic flow to enable timely arrivals of people for iftar,” Traffic Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Ahmed Nawaz told Arab News.
“We face resource constraints, and engaging traffic police in challan activity would disrupt traffic flow, especially during Ramadan’s peak hours when there is severe traffic on roads and everyone is in a hurry to reach home.”
He said issuing tickets not only consumed the time of the traffic cops but also delayed commuters, adding that policemen had been instructed instead to ensure a smoother flow of traffic.
As Ramadan favor, Karachi traffic police say no speeding tickets near iftar time
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As Ramadan favor, Karachi traffic police say no speeding tickets near iftar time
- Traffic jams are frequent during evening rush hours in Karachi, a city with population of over 20 million
- Police chief says challans consume time of commuters and tie up police officers who need to manage traffic flow
Pakistan vaccinates over 44.6 million in final anti-polio drive of 2025
- Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases so far this year, underscoring fragile progress against virus
- Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has vaccinated 44.6 million children against poliovirus in the last nationwide immunization campaign of the year, health authorities said on Monday.
The seven-day anti-polio campaign was launched on Dec. 15, targeting children under the age of five. It was conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), which oversees eradication efforts.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries where transmission of the wild poliovirus has never been interrupted, posing a risk to global eradication efforts. The virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis, has no cure and can only be prevented through repeated oral vaccination.
“The final National Polio Eradication Campaign of 2025 has been successfully concluded,” the EOC said in a statement. “During the national polio campaign, vaccination of more than 44.6 million children was successfully completed.”
Giving a breakdown of the numbers, the EOC said approximately 22.9 million children have received polio drops in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, around 10.6 million in Sindh, more than 7.1 million in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and more than 2.54 million children in Balochistan.
In Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, over 450,000 children received polio drops while in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, approximately 274,000 children have been vaccinated, the NEOC said.
In Azad Jammu & Kashmir, over 714,000 children received polio drops.
Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases so far in 2025, underscoring the fragility of progress against the virus. The country recorded 74 cases in 2024, a sharp increase from six cases in 2023, reflecting setbacks linked to vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and access challenges in high-risk areas.
Health officials say insecurity remains a major obstacle. Polio workers and their security escorts have repeatedly been targeted in militant attacks, particularly in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, complicating efforts to reach every child.
A gun attack targeting a polio vaccination team in Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur district on Dec. 16 left one police constableand a civilian dead.
Natural disasters, including flooding, have also disrupted vaccination campaigns in recent years.
“Polio workers and security personnel who served during the national campaign are the true heroes of the nation,” the EOC said.
