ISLAMABAD: Islamabad’s roads remain virtually unmonitored after sunset as only around five per cent of the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) personnel are deployed for night duty, leaving motorists at the mercy of overspeeding and weak enforcement.

The revelation came in a report submitted by the ITP before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) during a case on the lack of checks against unfit vehicles. According to the report, out of a sanctioned strength of 689 officers, only 38 are assigned to night patrolling — including one DSP, two inspectors, 11 sub-inspectors and ASIs, and 24 constables. The small team is also responsible for VIP movement, further limiting their enforcement role.

The ITP admitted that this skeletal deployment has created an enforcement vacuum, allowing signal violations and reckless driving to go unchecked. The problem is compounded by a massive surge in vehicles — from 169,788 in 2006 to over 1.48 million in 2024, a rise of nearly 776 per cent. Despite the explosive growth, the ITP’s strength has remained unchanged for two decades.

A proposal seeking 2,616 new posts to meet operational needs has been pending with the Ministry of Interior since 2021. The report also revealed that 2,249 challans were issued last year against vehicles without valid fitness certificates, generating fines exceeding Rs2.2 million.

Meanwhile, the court has taken notice of ITP’s relocation from 9th Avenue to Faizabad and questioned the legality of a recreational park reportedly developed on Capital Development Authority (CDA) land. The IHC directed both CDA and ITP to clarify the matter, observing that a law enforcement body must uphold the very civic rules it enforces.

The revelations expose deep institutional gaps, leaving Islamabad’s traffic enforcement system overstretched and ineffective after dark.