Renowned international safe cities consultant, Noman Said, has stressed that now is the time for Pakistan to get the safe cities right at the planning stage; as 18 projects are underway or being planned in Punjab alone; and, Karachi Safe City mega project has also been initiated.
Noman Said added that based on his experience, in order to safeguard public funds, safe cities should be planned in a way that they can be integrated to other safe cities at any later stage – be it on a divisional, regional , provincial or national level.
Noman Said highlighted the importance of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) by terming it a game-changer initiative; however, he maintained that providing impeccable law & order environs is of indispensable nature for the FDI to come. The first thing that flies is capital when there is a precarious security situation for the businessmen, he added.
Noman Said explained that the genesis of a safe city lies in its foundational design — a meticulously engineered platform that champions scalability and adaptability. This robust base ensures that the safety mechanisms put in place are not just confined to a single urban area but can be expanded seamlessly to encompass entire regions, eventually culminating in a national Integrated Command and Control Center (IC3).
Noman Said highlighted the potential transformative impact of the safe city projects on the country’s business landscape; drawing parallels with China, Singapore and UAE’s success. He stressed that improved surveillance and law enforcement capabilities are expected to reduce the current unacceptable crime rates and create a safer environment for businesses and investors.
Given that SIFC can provide guarantees of safe and smarter cities, the private-sector has the potential to bring FDI in huge numbers through trade promotion and bringing international events to Pakistan.
