ISLAMABAD: To ensure the security of the federal capital, it has been decided that vehicles lacking M-Tags will not be allowed to enter Islamabad from January 1.

This was disclosed by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who also announced that entry of vehicles without M-Tags into Islamabad will be prohibited from January 1, 2026.

He directed the authorities to submit a comprehensive plan to transform Islamabad Safe City into Capital Smart City.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State Tallal Chaudhry visited the Safe City Headquarters, where the interior minister reviewed the city monitoring system on the digital wall.

DC wants expedited tag issuance at 16 facilitation points; Naqvi directs to accelerate work on Capital Smart City project

The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Islamabad, Irfan Memon, has directed that processing at all M-Tag points be expedited so that the maximum number of vehicles would be registered before reaching the deadline.

According to the DC Islamabad, 16 M-Tag facilitation points have been established at various locations across the city. Since November 14, nearly 100,000 vehicles have been issued M-Tags. “Vehicles without M-Tags will be identified with the help of tag readers. Tag readers have been installed at various entry points and checkpoints. From January 1st, as soon as the tag readers become operational, action will be taken against vehicles without tags,” Irfan Memon said.

“Citizens are advised to get M-Tags installed on their vehicles immediately to avoid any inconvenience,” he added.

Earlier this year National Highways Authority (NHA) decided to encourage the masses to have M-Tags, and for that, it announced to charge 25 per cent extra from people lacking M-Tags on motorways.

It is worth mentioning that M-Tag is a pre-paid sticker that allows people to skip the queues, drive in designated faster lanes, and enjoy a seamless, cashless tolling experience on motorways.

However, the same technology is being used in the federal capital to identify vehicles and ensure the security of Islamabad. On the other hand, each person is being charged Rs250 for the issuance of an M-Tag.

During his visit to Safe City Headquarters, Mr Naqvi observed public safety measures implemented through modern technology and inspected the security surveillance at the Special Chinese Desk in the control room.

An important meeting was held at the Safe City Headquarters during which he reviewed measures taken for the protection of citizens’ lives and property.

The interior minister directed that work on the Capital Smart City project be expedited. He stated that under the Capital Smart City initiative, citizen services such as Rescue 1122, traffic management, security, and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) would be integrated into a centralised system.

Mohsin Naqvi further said that the scope and outreach of the Capital Smart City project would be expanded to the entire country, and the project would be adopted as a model to make Islamabad the safest city. He emphasised that reforms in Safe City operations and the effective use of technology are the need of the hour.

The inspector general of Islamabad Police gave a detailed briefing on matters related to the transition from Safe City to Capital Smart City. During the briefing, it was informed that during Muharramul Haram, the use of Safe City cameras resulted in significant savings of time and resources.

The federal secretary interior, the chief commissioner of Islamabad, the additional deputy commissioner general, and other senior officials were also present on the occasion.

Published in Dawn, December 29th, 2025