Man issued driving licence with woman’s photo in Multan

MULTAN: A shocking case of negligence has emerged from the Punjab Traffic Police Driving Licence Branch in Multan, where a man was issued a driving licence carrying a woman’s photograph instead of his own, ARY News reported.

According to the affected citizen, Asghar Sawal, he had applied for his driving licence in Multan in 2025 after completing the required training. He paid Rs7,000 for the process and successfully passed the driving test. However, when the licence was finally delivered to him, he was stunned to see that a woman’s picture had been printed on it.

Asghar, who is currently living in Karachi for work, said travelling back and forth to Multan is not easy for him. Despite this, he contacted the licence branch to get the mistake corrected.

Instead of acknowledging the error, officials at the Multan Driving Licence Branch reportedly blamed him and told him he would have to pay Rs650 to get the record fixed.

He was also informed that the correction process could take up to four months, even though the mistake was clearly made by the department.

“I was surprised and frustrated,” Asghar said. “It was their mistake, but they are asking me to pay and wait for months to fix it.”

The case has raised serious questions about data handling, record keeping and accountability within the Punjab Traffic Police’s licensing system. A driving licence is an official identity document, and such a serious error could cause legal and practical problems for the holder, especially during traffic checks, travel, or verification.

Asghar has appealed to the Inspector General of Punjab Police to personally look into the matter and order an immediate correction without charging him any additional fee.

The incident has also sparked public concern over the reliability of the driving licence system and whether similar mistakes might be affecting other citizens without their knowledge.