Tolls (Army and Air Force) Act, 1901

This very old 1901 law exempts members and property of Pakistan's armed forces from paying tolls — fees charged for using roads, bridges, ferries and landing places. Section 2 defines who and what counts as covered, including "authorised followers" (civilian staff attached to the forces), "Irregular Corps," and "Pakistan Reserve Forces," and clarifies that "tolls" here does not include customs duties, octroi/town duties, or tram fares.

Section 3 is the core exemption list: officers, soldiers and airmen of the Pakistan Army and Air Force, members of the Pakistan Territorial Force or Pakistan National Guard, Reserve Forces personnel travelling to or from duty, authorised followers, family members accompanying troops, military prisoners under escort, and the carriages, horses and baggage that travel with any of these exempted people, are all excused from paying tolls when embarking, disembarking, crossing a turnpike road or bridge, or using a ferry. A proviso, however, keeps normal toll obligations in place for boats and barges carrying these people or goods along a canal. Section 4 similarly exempts vessels used solely to transport troops, and troops' horses, baggage and effects, from tolls charged by local authorities at ports, though the local authority must still be paid for the services and accommodation it actually provides.

Section 5 makes it an offence to demand and receive a toll in violation of these exemptions, punishable with a fine of up to fifty rupees — reflecting how old this Act is, since that figure has not been updated to reflect current currency values. Section 6 lets an owner, lessee, company, railway administration or local authority claim compensation from the government for losses caused by operation of this Act. Section 7 lets the Federal Government make rules to implement the Act, including prescribing passes proving entitlement to the toll exemption.

This Act is over a century old and has been amended many times (the extract shows successive changes from "Central Government" to "Federal Government," removal of "Royal" from Air Force references, and 1927, 1942 and 1951 amendments), so its fifty-rupee penalty figure and other specifics should be checked against the current official text before being relied upon.