ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government will launch a 911 emergency call service in October to help with “crime prevention,” Prime Minister Imran Khan’s office said on Monday.
Khan on Monday presided over a meeting of the ministries of interior and information technology where he was apprised of updates regarding the establishment of the Universal Pakistan Emergency Helpline (PEHEL).
“The Prime Minister was informed that all necessary work including inter-provincial liaison has been completed and the helpline will be ready for regular opening by the first week of October 2021,” the PM office said. “The Prime Minister hoped that the launch of this helpline would help ensure peace and security in the country as it would enable timely action against crime.”
The discussion about a merged helpline for the country comes after the August 14 public assault of a woman near the Minar-e-Pakistan monument in the central city of Lahore. The incident, for which over two dozen people have been arrested so far, sent shock waves across the country after videos of a mob attacking and sexually assaulting the woman, Ayesha Akram, were shared online earlier this month.
In the police report for the incident, which was reported to Lahore’s Lari Adda police station, Akram said she was assaulted, manhandled and robbed by hundreds of men in broad daylight. She said the mob picked her up and tossed her around for hours, while calls to the police emergency helpline were not answered for over three hours.
Last week, interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Islamabad police will soon start using drones to ensure the security of, and control crime in, the capital.
Recently, police in Islamabad launched a ‘Cycle Patrolling Unit’ to curb street crime and incidents like mobile phone snatching and the harassment of women.
