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In a rather surprising decision, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has imposed a ban on purchase of petrol bikes in capital Islamabad. The decision was taken during a meeting at the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to review ongoing development projects in the city.
According to media reports, the decision was taken in the context of turning Islamabad into a world-class city. Furthermore, the government is focusing on electric vehicles for environmental purposes and that is why, the citizens will be allowed to buy only electric motorcycles, while eco-friendly electric buses will be used for the public transport.
In a statement, Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting mentioned that Mohsin Naqvi directed the CDA to only purchase electric bikes in future “to reduce environmental pollution, while eco-friendly electric buses will be operated for the citizens of Islamabad,” adding that “the interior minister banned the purchase of petrol motorcycles.”
Electric Bikes in Pakistan
The decision is bizarre, indeed because although electric bike companies like Yadea, Metro and EVEE have arrived in Pakistan but these bikes are still quite expensive for a common citizen as a new purchase. The electric bikes do prove to be cheap in the long run but they still have a very limited market with very limited choices especially for the people who want to buy a second hand bike.
The petrol bikes have a lot of options from Honda CD70 to United bikes, and they are easy to maintain due to affordable spare parts and most importantly good resale value, while on the other hand, there is no proper infrastructure for electric bikes in Pakistan, the spare parts are relatively expensive and resale value is not that good. Hence, the decision by the government is quite sudden and surprising.
What do you think about the government’s decision to ban purchase of petrol bikes in Islamabad? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
