IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author): “Information on driver's licences, including colour, format, language of issue and sample card (1999-2002) [PAK40528.E]”, Document #1353930

Information on driver's licences, including colour, format, language of issue and sample card (1999-2002) [PAK40528.E]

According to staff at the High Commission of Pakistan in Ottawa stated during a 7 January 2003 telephone interview that all international driver's licences in Pakistan are issued in English. Domestic driver's licences in Pakistan are usually issued in English, although some may be filled in Urdu, depending on the locality (ibid.). However, unlike the new National Identity Card, driver's licences in Pakistan have been known to be the subject of forgery; the High Commission of Pakistan can assist Canadian government agencies in verifying the authenticity of driver's licences allegedly issued by Pakistani authorities (ibid.).

Please find attached a document published in 2002 by the Capital Police (Islamabad) of Pakistan which details the process for obtaining learning permits, driving [sic] licences, duplicates of said licences, and licences for driving light and heavy transport vehicles, as well as its accompanying application form (Capital Police 2002).

Also attached, please find articles from Dawn relating to the issuing of driver's licences in Pakistan. These include references to: a shortage of stamps for renewal of driving licences and a resulting "proliferation of fake stamps being sold with the help of postal employees" in some locations (Dawn 2 Feb. 2000); "driving licences [being] quite easy to procure or forge," lack of coordination between "the traffic police departments of the four provinces" and possible corruption in the issuing authority, "the licensing board" (ibid. 20 Feb. 2001); a change in issuing authority for international driver's licences in August 2001, from district magistrates to traffic police, "DIG traffic and highways" and the Clifton offices (ibid. 17 Oct. 2001); the implementation of changes at the Clifton issuing office regarding computerization of records, a decision to use colour photographs in licences instead of black and white ones, and the intention to introduce plastic licences (ibid. 30 Nov. 2001); a report on the formal requirements and actual testing and issuing practice at the Clifton licence issuing office of Karachi (ibid. 14 June 2002); and a study to introduce "smart cards" in place of driver's licences and to "install close circuit cameras at the driving licence branch to curb malpractice and bring transparency in the procedures" (ibid. 17 June 2002).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

Dawn [Karachi]. 17 June 2002. "Karachi: Traffic Police to Introduce Smart Cards." http://www.dawn.com/2002/06/17/local5.htm [Accessed 7 Jan. 2003]

_____. 14 June 2002. Fahim Zaman Khan. "No Wonder We Drive One Another Crazy." http://www.dawn.com/2002/06/14/fea.htm [Accessed 7 Jan. 2003]

_____. 30 November 2001. "Karachi: Driving Licences Being Computerized." http://www.dawn.com/2001/11/30/local8.htm [Accessed 7 Jan. 2003]

_____. 17 October 2001. "Karachi: Absence of Driving Licences Irks People." http://www.dawn.com/2001/10/17/local13.htm [Accessed 7 Jan. 2003]

_____. 20 February 2001. "Driving Licence Racket." http://www.dawn.com/2001/02/20/ed.htm [Accessed 7 Jan. 2003]

_____. 2 February 2000. "Karachi: Shortage of Driving, Arms Licence Stamps." http://www.dawn.com/2000/02/02/local3.htm [Accessed 7 Jan. 2003]

Pakistan. 7 January 2003. High Commission for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Ottawa. Telephone interview with staff.

Attachments

Pakistan. 2002. Capital Police, Islamabad. "License Requirements." http://www.idpol.gov.pk/license-requirements.htm [Accessed 7 Jan. 2003]