ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday directed that the Islamabad Safe City expansion project be completed by Sept 30.

During a visit to the Safe City Headquarters with Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, the minister chaired a special meeting to review progress on the project.

Officials briefed the minister that 85pc of the overall expansion work had been completed. Installation of new cameras also stood at 85pc, while 415 kilometres of optical fibre had been laid. Work on the data centre, cyber architecture and cybersecurity was 80pc complete.

“Our goal is to make Islamabad Safe City a modern, smart and world-class institution on the pattern of developed countries,” Naqvi said. He added that a technology-driven Safe City system would ensure citizen safety, effective surveillance and an immediate response.

The interior minister also tasked the authorities with completing the new Fusion Centre at Islamabad Safe City within three months. He directed that the Safe City Bill be finalised and presented in the National Assembly at the earliest.

Federal Interior Secretary, DG FIA, senior Safe City officials and other relevant officers were also present.

Later, talking to Dawn, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said the major technological upgrade under the Smart Islamabad Initiative was aimed at improving city security and public services through modern digital systems.

He said the Smart Islamabad Initiative would introduce a new fusion centre to improve coordination among key departments responsible for safety and urban management. The project includes an advanced AI security system that will use artificial intelligence and smart sensors for real-time monitoring of the city.

Under the plan, data from Safe City Islamabad, CDA and EPA will be integrated into a single platform to improve response and decision-making. Chaudhry said the modern fusion centre would connect all departments and provide a unified system for monitoring city activities.

The AI security system will help the authorities detect incidents faster and respond more effectively using live data and smart alerts. He said a state-of-the-art central Command and Control Centre would allow full city monitoring from one location.

In emergencies, the Command and Control Centre Islamabad will help coordinate different departments instantly for quicker response times. He said the Safe City Islamabad upgrade would strengthen the existing monitoring system and improve coverage across the capital.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2026