Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, accompanied by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, visited the Islamabad Safe City Headquarters on Friday and chaired a special meeting to review progress on the Safe City Expansion Project, directing officials to complete the ambitious initiative by September 30.During the briefing, officials informed the minister that overall work on the expansion project has reached 85 percent completion. Installation of the new surveillance network is also 85 percent complete, while 415 kilometres of optical fibre have been laid to support the upgraded system.

Work on the data centre, cyber architecture, and cybersecurity infrastructure has also reached approximately 80 percent completion. Expressing satisfaction over the pace of work, Naqvi stressed that the remaining tasks must be completed within the stipulated timeframe. He said the government's vision is to transform the Islamabad Safe City into a modern, smart, and world-class institution comparable to those in developed countries.   

The interior minister said the technologically advanced Safe City system would significantly strengthen public safety through enhanced surveillance, effective monitoring, and rapid emergency response capabilities. He noted that the project would play a vital role in improving law enforcement efficiency and ensuring better security for residents of the federal capital. Naqvi also assigned officials the task of completing the state-of-the-art Fusion Centre within the next three months, describing it as a critical component of the upgraded Safe City network. 

He further directed the relevant authorities to finalise the Safe City Bill at the earliest and present it before the National Assembly without delay to provide the legal framework necessary for the project's long-term operation and expansion. The meeting was attended by the Federal Secretary for Interior, the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), senior Safe City officials, and other relevant officers, who briefed the minister on the progress and future roadmap of the expansion project.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)