Karachi: The Sindh government has given one week to owners of all unregistered motor vehicles in the province to get their four-wheelers registered with the provincial Excise and Taxation Department to avoid their seizure under a strict crackdown.

The decision was reached at a meeting with Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, where the security situation of the province was reviewed in the aftermath of the recent terrorist attack on the Karachi Police Office (KPO).

Provincial Information Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon, said that a strict and across-the-board operation would begin from March 1, and all unregistered vehicles will be impounded.

He warned that there would be zero tolerance and no law breakers, even if they are ministers, will be spared.

Action would be taken against the vehicles with tinted glasses and fake registration plates, he said.

He said that owners of car showrooms wouldn’t be allowed to sell unregistered motor vehicles as any car as soon as purchased should have a valid registration plate issued by the provincial Excise Department.

He said that a violating showroom owner would become part of the investigation as a suspect for conniving in the perpetration of a crime if a newly sold vehicle is found involved in any terrorist activity.

Memon said any private four-wheeler resembling the service vehicle of police or other law-enforcement agency would also be impounded.

He said that proper standard operating procedures would be devised for controlling the movement of the vehicles in troubled spots of the cities in the immediate aftermath of a terrorist activity like the recent attack on the KPO.

The minister told the journalists that an awareness campaign would be launched to urge motorists to keep a lane of the main roads empty for swift movement of emergency vehicles to reach a troubled spot without any delay.

“Up to 100 ambulances reach a troubled site where the emergency could easily be handled with the presence of just 10 ambulances,” said Memon.

He said the presence of so many ambulances hindered the smooth conduct of the anti-terror operation by the law-enforcement agencies after a sabotage act.

The adoption of such SOPs had become of utmost importance as the first person who had received bullet injuries after the attack on the KPO was a volunteer of a private ambulance service.

He said that similarly, the movement of vehicles of private TV channels for live coverage of the terrorist acts would be controlled in the same manner for keeping the anti-terror operation trouble-free.