Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday directed the PM Delivery Unit to set up a national emergency helpline within two months, the Ministry of Information said.
The premier’s directives come weeks after a woman was gang-raped on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway in front of her children while she was waiting for help after calling the motorway police’s helpline 130 when her car developed a fault.
There were reports that the victim was denied assistance because the area in question was not covered by the Pakistan National Highway and Motorway Police.
The information ministry, in a series of tweets on Wednesday, said that a separate system would be constituted for the national emergency helpline. “There will be one helpline number for any emergency nationwide.”
All existing helplines across the country would be connected to the new national helpline, the ministry said, adding that the number of the helpline would be toll free.
The system would incorporate the latest technology and all mobile phone companies in the country would be asked to cooperate. Legislation would be done to make the system “effective and permanent”, the ministry said. Discussions with provinces in this regard would also be held, it added.
