LAHORE: The traffic police’s crackdown on traffic violations across the province left motorists in turmoil when they lodged over 4,600 cases and arrested around 3,100 citizens, including a large number of schoolchildren, during the last 72 hours, creating a criminal record of a majority of them.

There was chaos in and outside the police stations where parents of the school-going boys were forced to spend chilly nights to pursue the cases as the reports suggested that around 70pc of the total individuals were the bike riders. The parents lambasted the Punjab government for making criminal profiles of these boys, saying it would have long-term consequences on the career of the young boys, declaring it an overreacted crackdown by the traffic police. They feared that the registration of FIRs and arrests would limit access of the youngsters to education, employment, social mobility and other opportunities, jeopardising their future. They appealed Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to adopt a more nuanced approach to deal with the students and other young children.

“Violation of traffic rules may be taken as a young age mistake and can be addressed by heavy fines, not as a crime or criminal act,” says Khalida Bibi outside the Bhatti Gate Police Station where she was made to spend the night as her young son was in the lock-up. Her 19-year-old motorcyclist son was arrested by the traffic police for one-way violation.

Generate Rs134m from tickets, impound 25,824 vehicles; parents concerned at future repercussions for booked underage riders

Khalida says her son argued that he was using the service road but the traffic warden was not convinced by his logic. The warden got irritated and sent him behind the bars, impounding his bike, the woman claims.

Talking to Dawn, Khalida says that the violation of traffic rules doesn’t mean the youngsters are liable to be punished as criminals.

“Nabbed in the school uniform, my son was kept behind the bars along with hardened criminals – one of them was arrested on murder charge, three others for drug trafficking.”

During her presence outside the police station, she says, she found out that the policemen were bringing a young man or an underage child every minute, unveiling the scale of police crackdown on the youngsters.

As per the emerging reports, similar disturbing scenes were reported in other police stations of Punjab, particularly, in the major cities, including Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad, where the traffic police made arrests in thousands on Saturday and Sunday.

The critics lashed out at the Punjab police high-ups, saying they ‘misbriefed’ the chief minister while preparing proposals wherein they recommended registration of the cases as an only option to regulate the traffic.

The official data of the large-scale crackdown of the traffic police across Punjab itself speaks of the scale of the hue and cry of the public, particularly, of the parents of the children arrested from roads.

Punjab Additional IG Traffic Police Waqas Nazeer told Dawn on Sunday that the provincial police had lodged 4,617 cases against the traffic violators and generated revenue of Rs134m alone by issuing fine tickets to 126,010individuals during the last 72 hours. He added the traffic police impounded 25,824 vehicles, including cars, motorbikes and auto-rickshaws, across the province.

A spokesperson for the Punjab Police claimed to have lodged 3,115 cases and arrested 3,195 individuals across the province for violating traffic laws during the last 24 hours.

In a statement issued on Sunday, he said 12,814 vehicles, motorcycles and rickshaws were impounded in various police stations during the crackdown during the same period.

He added that 50,480 challans were issued for traffic violations and fines exceeding Rs63m were imposed. Challans were issued to 3,511 smoke-emitting vehicles, 384 vehicles were impounded in police stations while the fitness certificates of three vehicles were seized.

“During the past seven days, more than 257,000 challans and fines amounting to Rs203m were issued,” he said.

A spokesperson for the City Traffic Police Lahore said that the police registered 1,800 cases and made many arrests during the last 72 hours. Sharing official data, he said 1,370 FIRs were registered over one-way traffic violations alone. Similarly, 174 drivers were sent behind the bars for not possessing traffic licenses. The police also registered cases against 30 caretakers of those children, including parents, for letting their underage children ride bikes and other vehicles.

Multan police registered 954 cases against the individuals for violating traffic rules in the city and arrested 42 underage drivers.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2025