Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah speaks during a press conference on Wednesday. Photo: NNI
KARACHI:
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Thursday directed the Sindh Safe Cities Authority (SSCA) to launch Phase I of the “non-negotiable” Karachi Safe City (KSC) Project in the next two months.
Chairing a meeting of the SSCA at CM House, the prime minister said, “Karachi’s security is non-negotiable. We are moving from the project phase to a fully functional authority.”
The Prime Minister further stated that the National Radio and Telecommunications Corporation has completed studies for Safe City projects in Hyderabad and Sukkur as well as smart camera installations at provincial entry and exit points.
He ordered preparations for Safe City projects in the two cities. “I want to present for approval a comprehensive plan with a clear timeline,” he added.
Sind CM@MuradAliShahPPPchaired a meeting of the Safe Cities Authority.
Phase I of Karachi Safe City Project will be operational within two months. The project includes 1,300 cameras, fully functional facial recognition and license plate systems and a revised budget of Rs 200 million. pic.twitter.com/WwxzIRWmcR— Sindh Chief Minister House (@SindhCMHouse) January 22, 2026
The prime minister directed the SSCA to hire technical experts strictly on merit and need, forming a dedicated committee to oversee the hiring.
CM Shah also approved the immediate hiring of 34 specialized technical and administrative staff including lead system architects, backend developers and monitoring officers to ensure that the multi-billion dollar project becomes operational within the stipulated timeline.
Phase I of the project includes the installation of 1,300 cameras at 300 pole sites, 18 point-of-presence sites and 23 emergency response vehicles. The Prime Minister was told that the system was currently in the “acceptance testing phase” as the technological facilities were complete.
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To avoid delays, the prime minister reallocated Rs 200 crore within the existing budget, prioritizing human resources and patrolling logistics.
The SSCA will temporarily operate from the Central Police Office and Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Akhtar Odho will provide a dedicated floor for coordination with existing command and control functions.
SSCA Director General Sarfraz Nawaz informed the Prime Minister that the technical infrastructure, including servers, video walls and fiber optic networks, was completed as planned on December 17. He added that the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system was being fine-tuned and would display live facial recognition and automatic license plate recognition within two weeks.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Special Assistant to CM Ali Rashid, MPAs Sumeta Afzal and Syed Sarfraz Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Home Secretary Iqbal Memon, Police IG Javed Alam Odho, PSCM Agha Wasif and other senior officials.
