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 within the next two months.
Chairing a meeting of the SSCA at the CM House, the chief minister said, “The security of Karachi is non-negotiable. We are moving from the project stage to a fully functional authority.”
The Chief Minister further stated that surveys for Safe City projects in Hyderabad and Sukkur, as well as smart camera installations at provincial entry and exit points, were conducted by the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation.
He ordered preparations for Safe City projects in the two cities. “I want a comprehensive plan with a clear timeline submitted for approval,” he added.
Sindh 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 and number plate recognition systems and a revised budget of Rs 200 million. pic.twitter.com/WwxzIRWmcR— Sindh Chief Minister House (@SindhCMHouse) 22 January 2026
The Chief Minister directed the SSCA to hire technical experts solely on merit and necessity and form a dedicated committee to oversee recruitment.
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 the multi-billion rupee project became operational within the stipulated timeline.
Phase I of the project includes the installation of 1,300 cameras across 300 pole sites, 18 point of presence sites and 23 emergency vehicles. The Chief Minister was told that the system was currently in the “acceptance trial phase” as the technology installations were completed.
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To prevent delays, the chief minister allocated Rs200 million within the existing budget, prioritizing human resources and patrolling logistics.
The SSCA will temporarily operate from the Central Police Office with Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Akhtar Odho providing a dedicated floor to coordinate with existing command and control functions.
SSCA Director General Sarfraz Nawaz briefed the Chief Minister that the technical infrastructure, including servers, video walls and fiber optic networks, had been completed as scheduled on December 17. He added that the Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system was being fine-tuned and would feature live facial recognition and automatic number plate recognition within two weeks.
The meeting was attended by Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, CM’s Special Assistant Ali Rashid, MPA Sumeta Afzal and Syed Sarfraz Shah, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Home Minister Iqbal Memon, IG Police Javed Alam Odho, PSCM Agha Wasif and other senior officials.
