Around 600 Safe City cameras are not working in Islamabad

National Accountability Bureau has ordered an investigation as to why 600 out of 1800 Safe City cameras aren’t functional in the capital city. The system was inaugurated by former Minister for Interior Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan under which the entire city was brought under surveillance 24/7 and the entire cost of this project was around Rs. 15.865 billion. The project also includes a bombproof command center and fiber optic connectivity through 500km long cables.

Chairman NAB ordered the inquiry on the non-functional cameras and DG NAB Rawalpindi will submit a report regarding expenditures of the project as well. Since all this comes under the Safe City initiative, the lives of citizens may be at stake, therefore, the process of verification and making the cameras functional again has to be expedited.

There were reports earlier in June that crime rates were on the rise in the capital because more than 700 cameras were not functioning. According to Minister for Interior Shaheryar Afridi: “Not a single camera could capture recognizable pictures of vehicles and dubious people.”  The camera and surveillance system has been installed by Huawei whose executives expressed unwillingness to explain why the project was failing.

This inquiry is in light of SP Dawar’s abduction in Islamabad and police haven’t been able to trace out or find any vehicles by which he was transported from Islamabad to Afghanistan.