Sikh community exempted from wearing helmets in Pakistan's Peshawar city

Sikh community members in Pakistan has been exempted from wearing helmets while riding motorcycles in Peshawar.

Peshawar police allowed the exemption after the issue was raised in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assembly by a member of the minority community, the Express Tribune reported.

The exemption applies to members of the minority community who are wearing turbans while riding motorcycles.

As many as 60,000 Sikhs live in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including 15,000 who live in Peshawar alone.

The SSP of traffic in Peshawar Kashif Zulfiqar assured full cooperation with minority communities.

Lahore has also been clamping down on motorcyclists who do not use helmets.

By the end of September, the City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) had issued over 58,066 tickets to motorcyclists riding without helmets in the provincial capital.

After the CTPL launched the campaign, the prices of helmets rose. A helmet that was being sold between Rs 400 and Rs 500 jumped up to between Rs 1,000 and Rs 1,500.