Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has reportedly ordered the province’s traffic police to stop arresting school and college students amid the ongoing crackdown on traffic violations. She expressed strong concern over what she described as the criminalization of minors, instructing officers not to handcuff or harass underage riders.
Officials said that on Monday, several underage riders were brought to district courts across Punjab, prompting parents and lawyers to rush for bail. Families criticized the operation as unnecessarily harsh, warning that a criminal record could negatively impact the students’ future employment opportunities. Lawyers outside the courts called on the government to adopt alternative disciplinary measures rather than treating children as offenders.
Following the chief minister’s directives, Additional IG Traffic Police Punjab Waqas Nazeer instructed officers to immediately halt arrests of students. Instead, he directed authorities to hold parents or guardians accountable if minors are allowed to ride motorcycles or drive vehicles in violation of the law.
Separately, Lahore City Traffic Police reported intensified enforcement against their own personnel violating traffic rules. A spokesperson said that 149 motorcycles and vehicles belonging to police officials were impounded over the past 72 hours for unpaid e-challans and were only released after fines were cleared, demonstrating a strict approach to internal compliance.
