ISLAMABAD: Damaging, destroying or removing any asset or equipment of the Islamabad Capital Safe City Authority is now a punishable offence, carrying a minimum of two years’ imprisonment, a fine of at least Rs200,000, or both.
Under the Capital Safe City Authority Ordinance 2026, which has been implemented in the capital, no person shall, without lawful authority, damage, destroy, remove, tamper with, interfere with, misuse or obstruct any asset, equipment, surveillance system, communica-tion network, fibre-optic cable, ancillary facility or other infrastructure owned, operated or controlled by the authority.
Anyone found contravening these provisions will be punished with imprisonment for not less than two years, a fine of at least Rs200,000, or both.
Legal proceedings will also be initiated against anyone who, without lawful authority, interferes with or gains unauthorised accesstocriticalinfrastructure, critical information systems or data, or causes damage to an information system, data or device collected, retained, operated or controlled by the authority. Such offences will be dealt with under sections 3 to 8 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
No suit, prosecution or other legal proceedings shall lie against the authority, its chairperson, vice chairperson, managing director, chief operating officer, any member, officer, employee, expert or consultant in respect of anything done or intended to be done in good faith underthe ordinance.
In case of any inconsistency between the provisions of the ordinance and any other law for the time being in force, the provisions of the ordinance shall prevail to the extent of such inconsistency.
If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the ordinance, the government may, through a notification in the official Gazette, issue orders not inconsistent with its provisions to remove the difficulty.
Data recorded and held by the authority will be admissible as evidence in any court of law, as stipulated in Article 164 of the Qanun-i-Shahadat, 1984. An employee of the authority will be deemed an expert within the meaning of Article 59 of the Qanun-i-Shahadat and will be considered to have been appointed under section 510 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.
The government may, through a notification in the official Gazette, make rulesto carry out the purposes of the ordinance.
The authority may also frame regulations, subject to the ordinance and the rules, for implementing its provisions.
For security reasons, which must be recorded in writing, the authority may inspect and integrate public and private CCTV cameras and fibre-optic networks without compromising citizens’ privacy, to improve digital surveillance and ensure maximum public security.
However, this provision will not apply to private residences or other places not open to the public unless otherwise authorised by law.
The authority will issue directives regarding integration and compliance under the ordinance. Any private or commercial entity that ignores or violates these directives, refuses to implement camera or safety requirements, or obstructs inspection or integration will be issued a warning to comply within 15 days.