A surprising and alarming development occurred when a blind person successfully obtained a traffic driving license in Islamabad after bribing traffic police officials.
Investigative journalist Iqrarul Hasan and the ARY News program Sar-e-Aam team uncovered a corruption network within the Islamabad Traffic Police, highlighting significant safety and security risks on the city’s roads.
Iqrarul Hasan received a tip-off concerning issuing driving licenses at a licensee branch in Islamabad. In response, the Sar-e-Aam team executed a sting operation in the city, catching a traffic police official and an intermediary accepting a bribe.
The sting revealed that the official and the agent issued licenses without conducting the required tests and medical inspections for a bribe of Rs30,000. Remarkably, the official granted the license without requiring the applicant to undergo the theoretical, medical, and driving tests.
The team approached the Islamabad traffic police through an agent who promised to secure a driving license without any testing or medical inspection. The program then demonstrated the lax process by having someone else take the medical test on behalf of the blind applicant, resulting in the issuance of an authentic license.
Issuing licenses to unqualified drivers poses a grave danger to public safety.
In a connected case, authorities suspended an official from the Korangi driving license branch in Karachi after a video surfaced showing him extorting a bribe to issue a driving license. ARY News aired the incriminating footage, prompting swift action from senior police officials. DSP Arshad Siddique has been appointed to investigate the incident thoroughly.
Additionally, a video recorded by a citizen appears to show Aslam Mirani, who works at the motor vehicle inspector office of the DL branch, accepting bribes. This footage further highlights the ongoing issues of corruption within the department.
