Chairing a high level meeting on public safety, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif ordered province wide fire drills and gave a two week ultimatum to complete all mandatory fire safety measures. She directed authorities to ensure full enforcement of the Building Safety Act, making it clear that negligence will no longer be tolerated.

To strengthen implementation, special powers have been granted to the Para Force, along with the creation of a dedicated cell to oversee compliance. All buildings have been instructed to keep entry and exit routes clear, while safety signage must be visible, accurate, and easy to understand.

During the briefing, it was shared that Rescue 1122, on its recommendations, will ensure the installation of geo tagged WASA fire hydrants at identified locations.

The service will also be equipped with thermal drones and modern firefighting technology to improve emergency response. Within two weeks, all buildings across Punjab are required to install external fire hydrants.

Rescue 1122 will carry out geo tagging of key locations throughout the province to enable faster and smarter emergency action. The Punjab government will also engage with industrial stakeholders to develop a coordinated strategy for human and structural safety.

Officials highlighted that Rescue 1122 Punjab is the only service in South Asia certified by the United Nations, and that its services will be expanded to all tehsils of Punjab within this year. Recent anti encroachment drives have further improved access for rescue operations.

Addressing the meeting, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that fighting fires requires courage, wisdom, and technology working together. She stressed that safeguarding buildings is not optional and warned that there is no place in Punjab for those who play with human lives.

‘Every tehsil, every market, every building, every school, and every high rise in Punjab will now be made safe,’ she declared, underlining the government’s resolve to turn safety rules into everyday practice rather than paperwork.