The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has signed an agreement to implement another major initiative — the Safe Cities Project. The agreement was signed between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police and the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC). A formal signing ceremony was held on Tuesday at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar, where Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur attended as the chief guest. The event was also attended by provincial cabinet members Syed Qasim Ali Shah and Muzammil Aslam, elected representatives from Peshawar, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, IGP Zulfiqar Hameed, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Muhammad Abid Majeed, and other relevant officials. During the briefing, officials informed the Chief Minister that the flagship project aims to transform the provincial capital Peshawar, all divisional headquarters, and other sensitive districts into “Safe Cities.” In the first phase, the project will be implemented in Peshawar at a cost of Rs. 2.2 billion and is expected to be completed within six months. This phase will involve the installation of 710 high-resolution surveillance cameras at 125 strategic locations across the city. The second phase will see an additional 600 sites equipped with surveillance infrastructure, to be completed over a year at a cost of Rs. 5 billion. A state-of-the-art Command and Control Center will also be established as part of the initiative. Subsequent phases will extend the project to Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, North Waziristan, and Karak, with an estimated cost of Rs. 6 billion and a completion timeline of one year for the southern districts. Eventually, the Safe Cities Project will also be rolled out in Mardan, Kohat, Nowshera, Swat, and Abbottabad.To give the Safe Cities Network a legal foundation, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Safe Cities Authority Act will be enacted. Under this law, it will be mandatory for all commercial projects to integrate their surveillance systems with the Safe City network. The project will utilize Artificial Intelligence to establish a robust and automated monitoring and identification system.
Additional features of the Safe Cities Project include an emergency response system, e-challan (electronic ticketing), and digital forensic evidence capabilities. The initiative will also consolidate data from the police and all other relevant departments into a unified system.
Due to its advanced features, the KP Safe Cities Project is set to become the most modern system of its kind in the country. In his address, Chief Minister Gandapur emphasized that ensuring peace and protecting the lives and property of citizens is the government’s top priority. He said that significant resources are being invested in strengthening and modernizing the police force. He further stated that the Safe Cities Project represents a key milestone, noting that the use of modern technology for security purposes is the need of the hour. The initiative, he said, will not only enhance public safety but also boost citizen confidence in the state’s security apparatus. The Chief Minister concluded by reaffirming his government’s commitment to improving governance and law and order through innovative and practical use of modern technology.
