A petition has been submitted in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) contesting the National Highway Authority’s (NHA) recent decision to levy a 50 percent additional toll penalty on vehicles lacking an M-Tag or having insufficient balance in their M-Tag accounts.
Filed by advocate Muhammad Jalal Haider, the petition challenges the legality of the penalty and demands the court declare it unlawful. It also calls for the NHA to refund all amounts collected under this policy. The Ministry of Communications, the NHA, and other relevant bodies have been named as respondents in the case.
The petition highlights that the NHA issued a notification on May 30, 2025, enforcing the 50 percent surcharge on vehicles either traveling without an M-Tag or with inadequate funds in their M-Tag accounts. The petitioner argues this action exceeds the authority granted under Section 10 of the NHA Act, which permits only toll tax collection, not penalty imposition.
Moreover, the petition asserts that the existing laws do not provide for fines related to the absence of an M-Tag or low account balances. It further contends that the NHA’s penalty collection lacks any legal foundation, violating constitutional rights under Articles 4, 18, 24, and 25.
In a significant development, the petition urges the court to declare the May 30 notification unconstitutional and nullify it. It also requests an order directing the NHA to refund all penalties collected under this disputed policy and to disclose the operational mechanism governing M-Tag balances and enforcement procedures.
The petition has been formally filed by advocate Yahya Farid Khawaja on behalf of Muhammad Jalal Haider, emphasizing the need for judicial intervention against the NHA’s contested penalty scheme.
