PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sohail Afridi, has formally inaugurated the province’s modern digital Personalized Registration Marks (PRM) System for vehicle registration. The inauguration ceremony was held at the Chief Minister House, Peshawar, where the Chief Minister officially launched the new system. With the implementation of this system, a vehicle’s registration number will now belong to the citizen rather than the vehicle itself. During the briefing on the key features of the new registration system, it was informed that in case of sale of a vehicle, the number plate will not be transferred to the new buyer but will remain with the previous owner, while the buyer will apply for a new registration number for the vehicle. Citizens will also be able to keep their selected number for up to three years without owning a vehicle. Addressing the ceremony, Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi said that this modern initiative of the provincial government would prove to be a milestone in making the vehicle registration process fully digital, transparent, fast, and corruption-free. He stated that the new system would lead to the complete elimination of fake and cloned number plates, while there would also be a significant reduction in the illegal use of vehicles. The Chief Minister emphasized that providing maximum convenience to the public is the government’s top priority, and directed the Excise Department to introduce a comprehensive online system for vehicle registration at the earliest. On the occasion, Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi also announced the introduction of Martyrs’ Package for the Excise Department, on the pattern of the Police Martyrs’ Package, for personnel who lay down their lives during anti-narcotics operations. He appreciated the effective actions of the Excise Department against drugs and said that making the province drug-free is among the top priorities of the present government. The Chief Minister issued clear instructions for a forceful and aggressive crackdown against major elements involved in the drug trade, stating that a zero-tolerance policy would be strictly enforced to eliminate this menace. He said that drug use is destroying the younger generation and, therefore, the complete eradication of drugs from the province is inevitable, which requires taking strict action against the major drug traffickers. The CM directed the concerned authorities to carry out indiscriminate and result-oriented operations against anti-state elements involved in drug trafficking, assuring that the government would extend full support for this purpose. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025