Punjab CM launches sweeping security push; surveillance to expand across schools, cities and transport routes

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday ordered a sweeping upgrade of surveillance and security across the province, directing authorities to install CCTV cameras outside all schools and educational institutions.

Chairing a review meeting, the chief minister instructed Punjab Police to conduct mock security exercises with the School Education Department and enforce strict entry checks, deployment of trained guards and fully functional CCTV coverage at all institutions.

She also ordered registration of drivers and staff of inter-provincial buses entering Punjab and called for enhanced coordination between Punjab Police, Motorway Police and other law-enforcement agencies.

CM Maryam directed the Punjab Safe City Authority to assess camera functionality across the province and ensure complete coverage in major cities, including Lahore and Rawalpindi.

She also ordered that CCTV systems installed in markets and homes be linked with the Safe City network to help identify suspects more quickly.

She instructed district administrations to compile computerised data of residents from other provinces living in Punjab, working with community elders, and to identify illegal Afghan residents. Combing operations would continue across sensitive areas, she added.

“No major public place should be without digital surveillance,” the chief minister said, vowing that she would “not rest until Punjab is made the safest province.” She urged citizens to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity to helpline 15.

CM Maryam expressed satisfaction over the province’s overall law and order situation and directed police and security agencies to continue working with what she called a “missionary spirit.”