It is a normal Monday and you check the e-challan portal because a friend told you about it. There it is. A fine on your vehicle for a violation in a city you were not in that day. The photo shows a car, but the number plate is one digit different from yours. Or the bike in the photo is not yours at all. Or you sold the vehicle months ago and the transfer was never done.
This happens more often than people think. Cameras misread plates. Plates get cloned. Records lag behind reality. The important part: a challan is not the final word. You can challenge it, and for most wrong fines you can do it from your phone. This guide covers what the law says, how to dispute a challan in each major city, and what happens if you ignore it.
Where does the power to fine you come from?
Traffic fines in Pakistan rest on the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1965. Section 116-A creates the ticket system. A traffic officer can charge you on the spot for the offences listed in the Twelfth Schedule of the Ordinance, which includes driving without a licence, signal jumping, speeding, and riding without a helmet. The full text of the Ordinance is published by the Punjab City Traffic Police.
The section gives you a choice. Pay the fine within the window, usually 7 to 10 days, and the matter ends. Or refuse to pay, and the officer files a complaint against you before the court that has jurisdiction. In Punjab, if the court finds you guilty after a trial, you pay double the amount written on the challan.
So the law assumes you will pay if the fine is fair, and it gives you a real route to contest if it is not. The catch is that you should only contest when you are confident. A lost contest costs you double.
What about e-challans from cameras?
E-challans are fines issued without an officer. Cameras at signals and on roads capture violations like signal jumping, overspeeding, wrong lane use, and parking in the wrong place. The system matches the plate to the vehicle registration, and the fine lands on the owner.
The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) runs this system. Its legal standing was questioned in 2022, when a single bench of the Lahore High Court called e-challans illegal for lacking legal backing. A division bench suspended that order and restored the system, pointing to the Punjab Safe Cities Act 2016. Dawn reported the ruling in June 2022. Since then e-challans have kept operating, and so has the right to challenge them.
How to dispute a wrong e-challan in Punjab
Punjab built an online review system for exactly this. You do not need an agent or a lawyer for a clear mistake.
- Open the official portal: echallan.psca.gop.pk. Avoid third party sites that ask for money.
- Register or log in with your CNIC and add your vehicle number.
- Open My Challans and select the fine you want to dispute.
- Click Add Review Request and pick the reason. The list covers cloned plates, wrong vehicle detected, vehicle already sold, camera error, and wrong registration mapping.
- Write what happened in simple words. Example: "My vehicle was not at this location on this date. Please check the CCTV footage."
- Upload proof. Photos of your vehicle, sale documents, workshop receipts, or GPS records all help.
- Save and wait. The PSCA verification team checks the footage and the records. If the challan is wrong, it is cancelled.
Reviews can take days, so check your account for the decision. If the portal route does not work, you can also report the issue through the official Punjab Traffic Police complaint channel: report a traffic issue online.
What about Karachi and other cities?
Sindh uses a different route. In Karachi, traffic police point drivers who received a wrong challan to the city's traffic facilitation centres. You can also check your challans on the Sindh Police e-challan service and raise the issue there.
Sindh has also made ignoring fines more painful. In August 2026 the province announced that pending e-challans must be cleared before you can get a CNIC, a driving licence, or a passport. ProPakistani reported the move.
What happens if you ignore a challan?
Ignoring a challan is the worst option. The fine does not expire. It stays on the vehicle record, and it follows the registration, not the driver.
- In Punjab, unpaid challans can block the vehicle transfer at the Excise and Taxation office. You cannot sell the car until they are cleared.
- Token tax renewal is linked to the challan database, so renewal can be refused until the fines are paid.
- Traffic officers scan plates during road checks. A vehicle with pending fines gets stopped and the driver is asked to clear them.
- In serious cases, like cloned plates or many unpaid fines, the vehicle can be impounded.
Paying a wrong challan is also a mistake, because payment is treated as accepting the violation. Dispute first. Pay only if the dispute fails.
What if the dispute fails?
If the authority keeps the challan and you still believe it is wrong, the court route is open. The officer files the complaint and you appear and argue your side. Traffic fines are small amounts, so disputes over them can fit the small claims courts route in some provinces. Before you start, check what filing a case costs in court fees. If you cannot afford a lawyer, free legal aid in Pakistan can connect you to one who does not charge.
For most wrong challans, the official review route is faster and free. Keep the challan number, the photo, and your evidence. The system corrects genuine mistakes, but only if you ask.
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