ISLAMABAD: The capital administration is all set to introduce e-tags on vehicles to identify outsiders and newcomers in Islamabad, officials told Dawn.

The vehicles with m-tags are not required to get e-tags.

In the first phase, tags will be issued to vehicles, and in the second phase, they will also be issued to motorcycles as m-tags. The e-tag and m-tag will be made mandatory for vehicles entering the capital as well as for residents.

The e-tag and m-tag will also be linked with the Islamabad Safe City Authority for surveillance and monitoring of vehicles moving in the capital.

Pilot project launched; tags to be linked with Safe City system for monitoring and security

According to officials, the measures will empower the authorities to identify and distinguish between vehicles belonging to residents, those commuting to Islamabad on a daily basis from other parts of the country, including neighbouring cities and newcomers.

Vehicle number plates can be replaced or faked, but forged e-tags will not be usable as they will not be readable. The tag will contain details of the owner and the vehicle.

In this regard, the Islamabad Excise Department has started a pilot project and tags are being issued to vehicles at Kachnar Park in I-8 and the Excise Office in H-8. Currently, the FWO is issuing m-tags, and from November 18, the capital administration will begin issuing e-tags to vehicles owned by residents of the capital and to those who commute to Islamabad regularly.

The number of points from where motorists can obtain e-tags will be increased from November 18. The tag is likely to cost Rs250.

In the first phase, the tag facility for vehicles has been provided at 10 locations, and the service will gradually be expanded throughout the capital.

The tag will be mandatory for every vehicle entering Islamabad or plying on its roads, irrespective of the user’s residency.

A number of motorists already have m-tags issued by One Network, and such vehicles will not require the new tag, as it will be automatically integrated into the new system.

New points are being established from November 18 in different areas of Islamabad from where the tag can be obtained. The original CNIC and original vehicle registration documents are required to obtain the tag.

Earlier, talking to the media outside the Judicial Complex after a suicide attack, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said he had directed that no vehicle be allowed into Islamabad without an e-tag after two weeks.

The e-tag project was first introduced in the capital in 2013 to facilitate residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi with hassle-free movement between the twin cities, besides addressing security-related issues, as it is issued only after verification of the person and vehicle.

The system was introduced on the directions of then Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

Later in 2017, the authorities concerned tested Radio Frequency Identification Devices in the capital and installed scanners at the entrances to the capital and the Red Zone. RFID was one of the features of the Safe City Project being implemented in the capital at that time.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2025