An ordinance has been approved to protect Safe City cameras and surveillance systems in Islamabad, imposing financial penalties for damage caused to the capital’s security infrastructure and holding those responsible for inciting such damage equally liable. The Islamabad Capital Territory Safe City Camera and Surveillance Infrastructure Protection and Damage Compensation Ordinance was approved on the advice of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and announced through the President Office’s official account on X, marking a formal legislative step toward protecting one of the city’s most critical public safety systems.
Under the ordinance, a fine of up to Rs2 million may be imposed for each camera or piece of surveillance infrastructure that is damaged. In cases where damage occurs during a public meeting, procession, sit-in, protest, strike, or gathering, the organizers of that event may also be held responsible for the cost of the damage alongside the individuals who directly caused it. The amount of the fine and the cost of repairs will be determined by an authorized officer, who must provide the person concerned with an opportunity to be heard before issuing a determination, ensuring a minimum standard of procedural fairness before any penalty is enforced.
The person concerned retains the right to appeal the fine or cost assessment before the District and Sessions Judge in Islamabad within 30 days of the determination being made, providing a formal legal avenue for contesting decisions made by the authorized officer. In cases where the prescribed fine or compensation is not paid, the amount may be recovered as arrears of land revenue, giving authorities a legally backed mechanism to ensure collection without requiring separate civil proceedings. All funds recovered through fines and compensation under the ordinance will be directed specifically toward the repair and replacement of Safe City cameras and surveillance infrastructure, ensuring that penalties collected feed directly back into restoring the systems that were damaged.
The ordinance arrives in the context of a documented history of damage to the capital’s surveillance network during periods of political unrest, with officials previously reporting that 441 Safe City Authority cameras were damaged during protests in 2024. The protection of Islamabad’s Safe City infrastructure, which forms a central part of the capital’s law enforcement and public safety architecture, has been a recurring concern for authorities given the pattern of large-scale gatherings in the city that have at times resulted in significant damage to public property. By formally legislating penalties and recovery mechanisms for infrastructure damage, the ordinance aims to deter future incidents and establish clear legal accountability for those whose actions result in harm to the surveillance systems that underpin security management across the capital.
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