Punjab to broaden PERA’s mandate to support key enforcement agencies

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to expand the operational scope of Punjab Enforcement Regulatory Authority (PERA), enabling it to extend enforcement support to major provincial bodies, including the Lahore Development Authority, Parks and Horticulture Authority, Overseas Pakistanis Commission and the Punjab Food Authority.

Officials told The News that the proposal to formalise this arrangement will be placed before the PERA Authority in its forthcoming meeting to be chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman serves as the vice-chairperson of the authority. The move follows formal requests from the aforementioned organisations seeking coordinated assistance from PERA in their enforcement operations.

Sources said the authority has also completed work on an internal whistleblower mechanism aimed at ensuring accountability of its officers and field staff. The system has now been extended to every district, and a formal notification is expected within a fortnight. Under the framework, any citizen will be able to report violations of law or misuse of authority by PERA officials through a secure communication channel leading directly to senior officers.

Officials further said that PERA has become operational across all divisional and district headquarters and is expected to be fully functional in all tehsils by the end of December. A significant number of police personnel are being deputed to the authority to support its province-wide operations.

Out of the 154 approved enforcement stations, work is under way at a rapid pace, with nearly half of the priority sites reaching the completion stage. To enhance transparency and efficiency, PERA has begun deploying body-worn cameras for field enforcement, while a limited number of officers have been issued sidearms under official authorisation. The remaining equipment, including helmets, batons and handcuffs, is scheduled for distribution to all tehsil-level stations before December.

Officials described the expansion as a major step towards transforming PERA into a centralised enforcement support institution that will help bring uniformity, transparency and accountability across provincial regulatory actions. The authority’s integration with other enforcement bodies, once approved by the chief minister, is expected to strengthen inter-agency coordination and ensure that enforcement measures across Punjab are conducted under a unified, transparent framework.

Speaking to The News, PERA Director-General Captain Farrukh Ateeq Khan said, “Our approach will remain one of ethical enforcement:

offenders will be treated as violators, not criminals,” underscoring the authority’s commitment to transparency and procedural fairness.