Honour for Lahore

After an improvement of 56 ranking place, the capital city has surpassed Paris, New York, and Chicago on the WCI

Lahore has been named among the safest cities in the world by Numbeo, a crowd sourced global database of reported consumer prices, perceived crime rates, quality of healthcare, among other statistics.

After an improvement of 56 ranking place, the Punjab capital city has surpassed Paris, New York, and Chicago on the World Crime Index (WCI).

This is welcome news for a city that is considered the cultural heir of Pakistan as the country tries to boost its image as one which is safe for international visitors after being blighted by nearly a decade and a half of terrorism.

However, there is room for scepticism given that security issues are more varied and require stronger reporting than what is offered by an online database.

For example, a report this week has shown that around half of the 8,000 cameras installed in Lahore, as part of the Safe City project, have been taken offline because due funds were not issued to the company maintaining it. This has reportedly put sensitive installations at risk.

Then there is the case of environmental issues which impact security or even the livability in cities. In this regard, the regular occurrence of smog towards the end of the year can have a severe impact on the city’s security.

Other issues include the provision of safe drinking water to all residents and good sewerage system to ensure proper drainage of water, especially during rains.

On both these counts, Lahore has fared poorly in recent years. So, to be a better host for tourists, Lahore needs to a lot more. Better security with adequate police reforms is a good point to start.

There was also the talk of bringing specialised tourist police to the city to offer a more friendly face of the security personnel for tourists. But there is also a need to address other critical issues such as general cleanliness and accessibility and ensuring proper conservation and upkeep of its historical treasures.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 19^th, 2020.

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