The Balochistan government has decided to launch the Quetta Integrated Security Project to modernise the security and policing system of the province, as reported by 24NewsHD TV on Tuesday. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting on security and policing that was chaired by Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti. Under the Quetta Green Digital Corridor project, 2,900 modern surveillance cameras will be installed across the city to improve security and monitoring. New stations of the Quick Response Force will also be established as part of the project, while steps are being taken to bring Balochistan Police in line with modern requirements so that the force can deal better with security threats.
During the meeting, the Additional Chief Secretary Home and the Inspector General of Police Balochistan briefed participants on the security situation and on the policing measures that are currently under way. The meeting was informed that police reforms and departmental accountability are in progress, and that 871 personnel have been sacked over absenteeism and negligence. It was further told that 1,005 police personnel who had been deployed with various personalities have been withdrawn and sent back to the police department. These steps show that the provincial government is paying attention to the internal discipline of the force, alongside the technology and infrastructure that have been planned for the provincial capital.
Chief Minister Bugti directed that police personnel be provided with the training and resources they need to respond effectively to security challenges. He said the provincial government stands firmly with the police and security forces in the fight against militancy. Bugti also stressed the need to control non developmental expenditures and to use the available resources for public welfare, which indicates that the funding of the security project is meant to be balanced against other spending priorities. According to the report, he told the meeting that the government has to work for the common man of Balochistan, who shivers in the cold and swelters in the heat.
Taken together, the decisions announced after the meeting cover three areas: surveillance technology, response capacity and the conduct of police personnel. The 2,900 cameras under the Quetta Green Digital Corridor project will give authorities wider monitoring across the city, the new Quick Response Force stations will add locations from which police can respond, and the reforms described by the officials address absenteeism, negligence and the deployment of staff with personalities. The meeting also linked these measures to a wider requirement to modernise Balochistan Police, with training and resources for officers named as a direction from the Chief Minister, and with attention to how public money is spent.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
