ISLAMABAD:Additional Inspector General National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) Zubair Hashmi on Tuesday said that testing was made mandatory for all foreign traffic license holders due to difficulties in the verification from the concerned authorities.
Addressing an online Kachehri, Hashmi said that license holders from 53 countries were exempted from the test but in certain cases, the licenses were not verified. He said considering the issues of the authenticity and reliability of the tests in some counties, the test was made mandatory for all the applicants.
He said that the foreign license holders would not be asked to apply for the learner test but they have to prove their driving skills before NHMP.
Answering a question, regarding the non-availability of vehicles for the driving test, Hashmi said that the government was not providing logistic support to NHMP including fuel and cars, due to which applicants had to arrange vehicles on their own.
He said that there were more than 20 applicants on the day of the test and they could pool the car for them which would reduce their burden. “Cars are available on the rent of Rs3000 per day which would be affordable for the applicants on sharing bases”, he added.
Regarding the query about the delay in the interviews of the patrol officers, he informed that Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) was unable to hold interviews on such a large scale and the Ministry of Communications had sought an opinion from the law and justice department.
He said after the recommendation of the justice department NHMP would be able to form special committees to conduct the interviews of the patrolling officers.
Replying to a question about the rush hours and patrolling, he said that there were four patrolling vehicles for a beat of 50 kilometers and NHMP was considering starting bike patrolling to provide better services to the public.
He said that road users usually have queries that why motorways were closed during the fog. “Motorways are closed when the visibility is dropped to zero and it was hazardous for the motorists to travel in bad weather conditions”, he informed.
Caravans were made during fog but it was possible when the fog patterns were predictable, he said adding that the accidents in the caravans could cause chain reaction and accidents could be dangerous.
He further said that heavy bikers would not be allowed on the motorways due to various reasons including speeding issues, chasing problems, violations, and general behavior of the bikers.