helpline, emergency helpline, worldwide

Pakistan government to launch a single emergency helpline similar to United States 911. The citizens can report emergencies of all natures to this single helpline by dialing 911.

Various emergency numbers are being merged into this single hotline and it’s going to be named Pakistan Emergency Helpline (PEHEL). 

The project was possible because of the efforts of the Digital Pakistan Initiative of the Information Technology minister and the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC). National Telecommunication will provide safe and reliable telecommunication infrastructure and services to the government departments who will directly respond to distress calls placed in case of emergency by Pakistani citizens. The application for the hotline is being designed and built by NTC the National Information Technology Board (NITB).

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The citizens can dial the hotline to avail themselves of emergency services including, ambulance, police, fire department, and many such services by just dialing 911. The decision to introduce this helpline was taken after the rape incident that occurred on Motorway in September 2020 in which the victim was unable to get any help from the Motorway police helpline. The Prime Minister took notice of the incident and decided to launch a dedicated helpline to prevent such incidents.

The service is likely to be launched in all provinces of the country simultaneously. The government will be taking the mobile companies onboard to ensure swift service in all parts of the country.

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