In a country like Pakistan where children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities are often lost, the Punjab Safe Cities Authority has launched a special initiative titled Virtual Center for Child Safety known as “Mera Pyara” (meaning “My Beloved” in Urdu) as a pioneering model combining compassion, technology, innovation, institutional coordination and public participation. The initiative was officially launched in July 2024 and inaugurated by the Chief Minister Punjab.

Historically, lost persons, especially children, the elderly, and individuals with special needs pose a grave challenge in a province like Punjab having a population of 127 Million. On average, around 90 cases of missing children and 30 cases of children found abandoned are reported in Punjab on a daily basis (PSCA Emergency-15 Stats). In densely populated cities of Punjab, the convergence of migration, urbanization, inadequate identity record-keeping and social vulnerability has meant that many kids who go missing remain un-reunited with their families for long; and in many cases, indefinite period.

Punjab Safe Cities Authority, originally established to deploy integrated smart city solutions for surveillance, traffic management and emergency response infrastructure, recognized this critical gap and took this initiative to address this issue through a dedicated digital platform. The initiative aligns with PSCA’s broader mission of creating safe, peaceful and prosperous cities in Punjab, using innovation, partnership and technology as organizational values.

Punjab Safe Cities Authority operates the largest emergency call center of Punjab handling 90K-100K emergency calls everyday. Citizens can simply report a missing or found child via a dedicated helpline i.e. 15 and choose option 3. They can also use helpline 03090000015 or use Facebook Page “Mera Pyara” or our website www.merapyara.pk for this purpose. This unique facility also gives us an edge of being the single largest datahub handling cases of both lost and found kids from across Punjab.

Our digital platform then uses cutting edge technology including facial recognition and data/ whereabouts matching tools to cross match datasets of lost and found individuals. In addition, physical interviews, field visits and use of targeted social media boosting is also done for reuniting the children with their loved ones. Social media platforms including Facebook and Tiktok are also used for public awareness campaigns are also employed to amplify the “found” listings and invite family identifications.

Our Field teams visit welfare institutions (e.g., shelter homes, Edhi-Centres, Child Protection Bureaus etc) to obtain data of kids who are living there without any identity. Once an identification is verified, the field team works in coordination with local police, courts and guardians to hand over the missing person.

Our system is linked with 737 Police Stations located across Punjab and where criminal elements (abductions, exploitation) are involved, FIRs (First Information Reports) are promptly lodged, investigations are conducted and arrests made, where necessary. We are also working in collaboration with Child Protection Bureau, Edhi Centers and Orphanages in our effort to reunite lost kids with their loved ones.

In its first year of operation, Mera Pyara received over 36000 cases of missing children in Punjab. Out of these, more than 35,000 children were successfully reunited with their families.

We have now expanded our operation across Pakistan and during this effort, over 190 shelter homes functioning across Pakistan were registered and data of 1800 unidentified kids living there has been obtained and integrated with the system. In a span of three months, families of more than 800 unidentified children/special persons have so far been identified.

We have also entered into a collaboration with Sind Child Protection Authority, Edhi Foundation and Pakistan Railway Police to reunite lost kids with their families from across Pakistan.

For practitioners working on similar projects in other jurisdictions, Mera Pyara offers several take-aways:

1. Technology-driven identification and recovery of lost kids: The use of facial recognition and whereabouts matching, a centralised database and digital reporting transforms ‘lost child’ response into a well-defined and systemic mechanism.
2. Multi-stakeholder approach: Combining law-enforcement, welfare and shelter homes, social media and citizen engagement maximizes reach and speed.
3. Public-awareness and accessibility: A 24/7 toll-free helpline, an app, and media visibility means community has become a part of the detection/recovery process.
4. Data integration from welfare institutions: Many missing/abandoned children are living in shelters without any identity; integrating their records prevents invisibility.
5. Metrics and accountability: Publishing verified data enables monitoring of performance and transparency of initiative since every bit of data held by Punjab Safe City Authority is verified and secure.
6. Potential for replication: Other jurisdictions facing similar issues (missing children, elderly and special persons) can adopt this model, which can be customized to suit local conditions.

The Mera Pyara initiative by Punjab Safe Cities Authority presents a compelling case study of how compassion, digital-governance, innovation and community engagement can converge to address the human tragedy of missing children. In an international context, the model offers replicable components: a centralised digital “virtual centre”, public reporting mechanisms, integration of welfare-institution data, and use of face-recognition & AI tools. The results suggest the model is delivering meaningful societal impact. And for the cities and jurisdictions anywhere facing the same challenge, Mera Pyara offers both inspiration and operational lessons.

Mustansar Feroze

Senior Superintendent of Police

Chief Operating Officer

Punjab Safe Cities Authority

E-Mail: Mustansar.psp@gmail.com

Contact: +923216060550

Website: https://merapyara.pk/

Facebook Page: https://web.facebook.com/merapyaraofficial