Balochistan and Punjab agree to cooperate on safe city projects

QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif have agreed to work together to make the safe city projects in Balochistan effective, functional and in line with modern requirements.

On the Balochistan Chief Minister’s letter, the Punjab Chief Minister has directed the officials concerned to strengthen the Balochistan Safe City Authority and give it the necessary institutional support.

Cooperation in security monitoring

Under a joint venture between the Safe City Authorities of Balochistan and Punjab, it has been agreed to make the security monitoring system more effective and to share technical support and experience.

The Balochistan Safe City Authority met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti. Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat gave a detailed briefing on the ongoing projects and progress.

The meeting was told that work on safe city projects is under way in 9 cities of Balochistan. Punjab Safe City Authority Director General Ahsan Younas said the Punjab Safe City Authority would train Balochistan’s staff, build their capacity and provide modern technical support so that safe city projects in the province could be made functional effectively.

Chief Minister’s directives

Addressing the meeting, Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said safe city projects are not merely a surveillance system but the basis of modern security infrastructure for protecting the lives and property of citizens.

He said modern Technology and effective security monitoring are essential for establishing Law and Order in Balochistan, preventing crime and giving citizens a safe environment. Modern surveillance, he said, will help track the movement of criminals, identify suspicious activity in time and make the immediate response of law enforcement agencies more effective.

The Chief Minister directed that work on the safe city projects under way in 9 cities of the province be speeded up. He also directed all departments concerned to ensure the projects are completed within the set time, with mutual coordination and a sense of responsibility.

He said that by making security monitoring effective through modern Technology, crime could be prevented and the Law and Order situation improved. Giving citizens a safe environment is an important responsibility of the government, he said, and he is personally monitoring progress on the safe city projects.

The Chief Minister thanked Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the Punjab Safe City Authority for their cooperation and support in Balochistan’s safe city projects. He said institutional cooperation and the exchange of experience between provinces would help achieve the shared goals of public safety.

Additional Chief Secretary Home Balochistan Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat told the meeting that once the safe city projects are complete, a security monitoring system using modern Technology would be in place in 9 cities. This, he said, would help prevent crime, identify suspicious activity in time and increase the capacity of law enforcement agencies.

The meeting was attended by Provincial Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove, Chief Secretary Balochistan Shakeel Qadir Khan, Additional Chief Secretary Home Muhammad Hamza Shafqaat, Inspector General of Police Balochistan Muhammad Tahir Khan, Balochistan Safe City Authority Director General Muhammad Ashfaq, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Imran Zarkoon, Finance Secretary Jehangir Khan, IT Secretary Ayaz Khan Mandokhail and other officials concerned.

Photo: courtesy DGPR Balochistan