PM Shehbaz Lauds Launch of Electric Vehicles in Islamabad Traffic Police, Calls It a Model for Provinces

ISLAMABAD,— Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday presided as chief guest over a ceremony marking the induction of eco-friendly electric vehicles into the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Traffic Police fleet. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister described the initiative as highly commendable and a replicable model for all provincial governments and law enforcement agencies across the country.

“This will save precious foreign exchange reserves, which is especially significant at a time when petrol prices are at an all-time high,” PM Shehbaz remarked. He expressed hope that other provinces and law enforcement agencies would follow suit and transition to electric vehicles at the earliest. The Prime Minister also inspected the newly inducted vehicles before the ceremony.
The event was attended by Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and senior officers of Islamabad Police and the district administration.
Inspector General of Police Islamabad, Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi, briefed the Prime Minister, stating that 15 Eco-Smart electric vehicles were being provided to the Islamabad Traffic Police as part of the Prime Minister’s vision and the government’s energy conservation policy. Each vehicle will be staffed with a captain, a male responder, a responder, and a driver, all equipped with specially designed uniforms. The vehicles will be deployed on key arterial roads of the city to further improve traffic flow.
According to the briefing, a fully charged vehicle can cover 350 to 400 kilometres. Fast charging requires 60 to 90 minutes while regular charging takes 6 to 8 hours. Compared to petrol-powered vehicles, each electric vehicle is expected to save Rs 0.55 million per month, with the cost of each vehicle to be recovered within 13 to 14 months. An additional 15 electric vehicles are set to join the Islamabad Traffic Police fleet in the near future.
Notably, work on the government’s fuel economy and electric vehicle policy had commenced well before the onset of the Gulf crisis, reflecting the administration’s foresight, with procurement of these vehicles initiated several months ago as part of Islamabad’s modern traffic management plan.