Business Desk 
Jun 11, 2025
Smuggled vehicles have long been a concern in Pakistan’s auto market, slipping into legal consumption using fake documents and tampered chassis. To deal with this issue, the government has implemented a new legal clause in the Customs Act that aims to introduce strict regulations regarding smuggled vehicles.
The new clause, Section 187A, dated June 30, 2021, makes it clear that even if a vehicle is registered with a Motor Registration Authority, all vehicles found to have a changed or tampered chassis will be assumed to be smuggled until proven otherwise. In short, registration will no longer save a suspicious vehicle from being seized.
What counts as tampered vehicle?
The law lists specific types of tampering that will trigger this presumption. These include:
- A tampered chassis number
- A chassis that is cut and welded
- Chassis filled with welding material
- A re-stamped chassis number
- A body swapped with another vehicle
If forensic checks find any of these signs, the vehicle will be declared smuggled and confiscated on the spot. The government says this step will help law enforcement agencies act faster and stop the circulation of illegal cars.
Authorities have often struggled with how smuggled vehicles get registered using forged papers and altered bodies.
