CM Afridi says the project completed at cost of Rs2.23bn
DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Tuesday formally inaugurated the Peshawar Safe City Project, describing it as a modern and integrated urban security framework that would significantly strengthen law and order in the provincial capital.
The inauguration ceremony was held at Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in Peshawar, where the Chief Minister said the project had been completed at a cost of Rs2.23 billion.
He said 711 state-of-the-art surveillance cameras had been installed at 133 key and sensitive locations across the city to ensure effective monitoring and improved situational awareness.
Mr Afridi added that Safe City projects in Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Lakki Marwat were nearing completion and would soon become operational. He said similar initiatives would be launched in all divisional headquarters and merged districts after June as part of the provincial government’s broader strategy to strengthen urban security infrastructure across KP.
Expressing concern over the prevailing security situation, the chief minister said the law and order environment had shown signs of deterioration. Referring to recent developments in Balochistan, he claimed that similar terrorist attempts in KP had been thwarted due to the timely response of the provincial police.
He said he had conveyed to federal representatives that unless national priorities were recalibrated, the situation could worsen. He emphasised the need for transparency and inclusivity in decision-making on critical national matters, particularly those relating to regional developments involving Iran, Israel and the United States, stressing that parliament and the public should be taken into confidence.
The Chief Minister said the provincial government had consistently advocated the formation of a grand jirga comprising tribal elders, representatives of the provincial and federal governments, and political parties to engage with Afghanistan for a durable and peaceful resolution of prevailing challenges.
He regretted that the dialogue-based approach had not yet been implemented.
He maintained that the people of KP had always stood by Pakistan and would continue to safeguard every inch of the country.
During the briefing, officials informed participants that the Command and Control Centre established under the project would integrate urban surveillance, emergency response and traffic management under a unified platform. The system would also be linked with existing camera networks installed along Bus Rapid Transit corridors, the Red Zone and other sensitive areas.
Officials said smart surveillance vehicles, drones, anti-drone systems and 68 panic buttons installed across the city would enhance citizen safety and enable faster response to incidents.
Speaker of the KP Assembly Babar Saleem Swati, provincial cabinet members, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah and Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed were also present.
Earlier, the chief minister laid a floral wreath at the Police Martyrs Memorial at Police Lines and offered prayers to pay tribute to the sacrifices of police personnel.
