Farid Ishtiaq Lahore, Sep 6 (APP):On a busy morning in Lahore, 22-year-old university student Sadia Qadeer boarded a public bus for her daily commute. Midway through the journey, a fellow passenger began harassing her. Instead of remaining silent or waiting helplessly for assistance, she scanned the QR Panic Button displayed inside the bus. Within moments, her location flashed on the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) Control Room’s screen. A trained …
Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA): translating Myth into reality
Farid Ishtiaq
Lahore, Sep 6 (APP):On a busy morning in Lahore, 22-year-old university student Sadia Qadeer boarded a public bus for her daily commute. Midway through the journey, a fellow passenger began harassing her. Instead of remaining silent or waiting helplessly for assistance, she scanned the QR Panic Button displayed inside the bus.
Within moments, her location flashed on the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) Control Room’s screen. A trained female officer moved swiftly, contacting her and alerting the nearest police patrol. The response closed in before the suspect could disappear, and officers intercepted him in time.
“I had heard about the QR Panic Button but never imagined I would need it,” Sadia recalled. “Knowing that help was just one scan away gave me confidence. I felt that someone was actually watching over us.”
While Sadia’s story is representative of the experiences many women have shared, it reflects the changing face of policing in Punjab one where technology is becoming as important as manpower.
Not long ago, the idea of a “Safe City” in Pakistan was considered an ambitious dream. Today, that vision is steadily taking shape across Punjab through the Punjab Safe Cities Authority, an organization that has transformed traditional policing into a technology-driven public service.
Established initially to improve urban security in Lahore, the Authority has grown into one of Pakistan’s largest digital policing platforms.
Under the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif for a “Safe Punjab, Digital Punjab,” the Authority is now expanding modern surveillance, artificial intelligence and emergency response services across the province.
More than 24,000 high-definition surveillance cameras are currently monitoring roads, markets, highways and public spaces throughout Punjab. These cameras are not merely recording footage; they form part of an intelligent surveillance network that helps detect crime, monitor traffic and support emergency response in real time. Thousands of additional cameras are being installed as the network expands to the tehsil level.
Today, Smart Safe City Operations Centers are operational in 43 cities, while work is under way to extend the system to 98 tehsils, creating one of South Asia’s most extensive digital policing networks.
Inside the PSCA headquarters, a massive wall of live surveillance screens displays activities from across the province. Every day, operators respond to more than 100,000 calls received through Emergency Helpline 15, coordinating police, rescue and emergency services around the clock.
Unlike conventional policing, where action often begins after a crime occurs, PSCA increasingly relies on Artificial Intelligence to prevent crime before it happens.
The Authority has developed 12 in-house AI systems, including Facial Recognition, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), Smart Vision, Crime Analytic and Intelligent Traffic Management. These technologies analyze surveillance feeds, identify suspicious behaviour, detect stolen vehicles and help police predict crime hotspots.
The Authority has also become Pakistan’s first public-sector institution to receive the ISO/IEC 42001:2023 Artificial Intelligence Management System Certification, reflecting international standards in AI governance.
Speaking about the Authority’s transformation, Managing Director Punjab Safe Cities Authority Muhammad Ahsan Younis said the organization had moved beyond the concept of surveillance alone.
“Safe Cities is no longer about cameras. It is about providing intelligent public services through technology. Artificial Intelligence, digital policing and citizen-centric innovation are helping us prevent crime, improve emergency response and build public confidence. Our objective is to ensure that every citizen, regardless of where they live in Punjab, has equal access to modern public safety services.”
He said locally developed AI systems had significantly reduced reliance on imported technologies while enabling faster, more customized solutions for Punjab’s policing requirements.
According to Ahsan Younis, PSCA’s future lies in predictive policing, where artificial intelligence helps identify emerging crime trends before incidents occur.
One of the Authority’s most significant social initiatives is the Virtual Women Police Station, where women can directly speak to trained female police officers by calling Emergency Helpline 15.
Since its launch, the platform has handled more than one million complaints and facilitated over 86,000 FIRs, removing many of the barriers that previously discouraged women from reporting crimes.
Similarly, the Mera Pyara Virtual Centre for Child Safety has become a model for child protection in Pakistan. Using digital monitoring and coordinated policing, it has handled more than 158,000 child protection cases, facilitated over 28,000 FIRs, and reunited more than 80,000 missing children with their families.
Its success earned international recognition when it was declared E-Government Category Champion at the WSIS Prizes 2026 in Geneva.
Technology has also changed how emergency assistance reaches ordinary citizens.
The QR Panic Button system has now been introduced in public transport, more than 4,700 Imam Bargahs, and locations associated with foreign nationals. A simple scan enables passengers to verify vehicle details, share live location, initiate a video call with the control room and request immediate police assistance.
Muhammad Imran, a ride-sharing driver in Lahore, believes the initiative has improved both passenger confidence and driver security.
“Earlier, passengers sometimes felt unsafe travelling at night. Now they know that every trip can be connected with Safe City if needed. It also protects drivers against false allegations because everything is digitally recorded.”
Traffic management has also benefited significantly.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems identify stolen or wanted vehicles within seconds, while intelligent traffic management systems monitor congestion, signal timing and violations, reducing delays and improving road safety.
For many citizens, however, the greatest change is psychological.
“I feel much safer today than a few years ago,” said shopkeeper Abdul Rauf from Wapda Town Lahore. “You see cameras almost everywhere. Criminals know they can be identified quickly. That itself discourages crime.”
PSCA’s role now extends beyond policing.
Its Emergency Helpline 15 has evolved into a multi-service citizen support platform offering access to police assistance, child protection, women’ s services, psychological counseling, legal guidance, blood bank coordination and traffic-related support through a single number.
The recently introduced Next Gen Safety App further integrates these services by allowing citizens to send emergency alerts, report incidents anonymously, share live locations and communicate directly with authorities.
Meanwhile, the CM Free WI-Fi Programme, now available at more than 1,700 locations, reflects the government’s broader digital transformation agenda.
Despite its achievements, experts argue that continued expansion must be accompanied by strong safeguards for privacy, cyber-security and responsible data governance. As surveillance networks grow larger, maintaining public trust will remain as important as technological innovation itself.
Yet there is little doubt that Punjab’s policing landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation.
The PSCA is no longer simply operating surveillance cameras. It is building an integrated digital ecosystem where Artificial Intelligence, smart policing and citizen-focused services work together to prevent crime, improve emergency response and strengthen public confidence.
For citizens like Sadia, the success of the Safe City project is measured not by the number of cameras installed or AI systems developed, but by the reassurance that help is available when it is needed most. That, perhaps, is the true meaning of translating a vision into reality.
