Punjab Safe Cities Authority’s Women Virtual Police Station, inaugurated by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif under the name “Meri Awaz…Maryam Nawaz,” has completed two years of operations, emerging as one of Pakistan’s most consequential technology-driven public safety initiatives. Over 939,000 cases have been handled since its launch, including harassment and domestic disputes, leading to 82,677 first information reports, while the initiative has been shortlisted for the World Summit on the Information Society Prizes 2026, reflecting growing international recognition of the model. JazzWorld Chief Executive Officer Aamir Ibrahim recently visited the Punjab Safe Cities Authority and described the Women Virtual Police Station as a powerful example of women protecting women through technology deployed with empathy and purpose.
The virtual model emerged after Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed that women police stations be established in every district of Punjab, with a virtual platform proposed to enable women across the province, regardless of location, to access justice services without the constraints of physical infrastructure. The psychological and societal barriers to physically walking into a conventional police station have historically been enormous for women in Pakistan, particularly for victims of domestic violence or harassment who fear social stigma or retaliation. Analysis by University of Notre Dame political scientist Saad Gulzar found an increase of approximately 23 additional domestic violence reports per month for each field office through the virtual police station’s helpline, with only a slight decline in physical walk-in reports, indicating the digital interface is successfully reaching women who may not have sought help from the state without it.
Women can contact the Virtual Women Police Station via the Helpline-15 call, the Women Safety App’s live chat and video call features, the Punjab Police App, and the Safe City web portal, with the platform guiding them through every stage of the process from registering a first information report to its investigation and trial. Services also include post-first information report follow-up, case tracking, and anonymous complaint filing, while awareness drives have been held at institutions including Home Economics University Lahore, where a digital kiosk was installed to brief students on available services. Punjab Safe Cities Authority Managing Director Muhammad Ahsan Younas described the initiative as removing the friction that previously kept countless women from seeking state assistance, noting that by providing a digital interface the platform had bridged a gap that traditional policing structures had been unable to address across a province of 128 million people.
JazzWorld’s visit to the Punjab Safe Cities Authority highlighted how digital platforms are advancing citizen protection through the Women Virtual Police Station, with the organisation commending the broader public safety mandate including reuniting families separated for extended periods and supporting interventions in critical situations such as mental health emergencies, underscoring how integrated digital systems can serve as vital support mechanisms for vulnerable communities. The Women Virtual Police Station’s combination of measurable operational impact, growing case volumes, and international shortlisting for the World Summit on the Information Society Prizes positions it as one of the more credible examples of technology-enabled public service delivery in Pakistan’s recent governance record.
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