Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan directed Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) on Thursday to install radio frequency identification device (RFID) barriers at all entry and exit points of the federal capital by the end of May.

The move, proposed to allow 'smooth entry and exit' for inter-city commuters and 'enhanced security' of the federal capital, was taken in a high-level meeting attended by the interior secretary, the advocate general, the chief commissioner of Islamabad, the chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), the inspector general of Islamabad, and senior officers of Islamabad Capital Territory police, and representatives of the Interior Ministry, the National Highway Authority and the Capital Development Authority.

Nisar instructed the Nadra chairman to also work on dovetailing the RFID system with facial recognition technology for enhanced security and facilitation purposes.

He said that RFID tagging system will save commuters from the hassle of frequent security checks at various police checkpoints and enable the ICT Police to ensure the optimum utilisation of its human resources.

The minister gave two weeks' time to Nadra and the ICT administration for working out the modalities concerning costs and issuance of RFID tags to regular commuters.