Committee struggling to build consensus on Police Act

Ministers’ body to finalise draft acceptable to cops, bureaucrats 

PESHAWAR: A four-member cabinet committee tasked to prepare the Police Act 2016 is facing tough challenge to build consensus among all the groups to come up with a single document, a source said on Wednesday. 

The committee, chaired by senior minister Inayatullah, was tasked last week to finalize the new Police Act after the civilian bureaucracy and police officers developed serious differences over their proposed drafts. Other ministers who are part of the committee include Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, Mohammad Atif Khan and Shah Farman. 

The committee was tasked in a meeting chaired by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan and Chief Minister Parvez Khattak after the senior police officials categorically rejected the proposed draft prepared by the Home Department.

The police officials pointed out that 50 out of the 73 points were amended by the bureaucrats. Some of the officers even conveyed they will quit the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police if the act drafted by the Home Department was passed.

InayatUllah, who belongs to the Jamaat-i-Islami and whose portfolio as minister is local government, previously led the committee that prepared the draft but failed to develop consensus over it.

The committee has three ministers along with the Advocate General and the Secretary Law Department. It sent the draft to the government for approval on February 11, 2016.

The Home and Tribal Affairs Department after giving final touches to it sent the proposed final draft of new Police Act to the Central Police Office for comments last week.

The document caused outrage among the police officers as they claimed many points proposed by them were deleted from it. The draft has been forwarded to all the regional police officers and former inspectors general of police for their comments and review.

A number of reform initiatives that received wide appreciation and were owned by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government as its notable achievement were not mentioned in the draft sent to the Central Police Office by the Home Department. Some police officials said the bureaucrats probably want to run these affairs through rules instead of a proper law. 

Apart from the points raised by the officers from the Police Service of Pakistan, the Provincial Civil Service and Pakistan Administrative Service, the ministers’ committee is likely to take up the issues submitted by the junior officers of the police force. 

 “A delegation of junior officers, including acting superintendents of police (SPs), DSPs and inspectors have met three of the four ministers in the last couple of days to convey their reservations over the promotion process and their service structure,” a source said. 

The group claims to be fighting for the rights of 99 percent force from DSPs down to constables. The Constabulary, however, is yet to get proper representation. 

The junior officers have recently launched a movement for the rights of, what they say, 99 percent of the force that has offered the most sacrifices in the last over 10 years of war against terrorism but was denied their due rights. 

A source said the bosses at the Central Police Office are also likely to negotiate with the junior officers through senior cops to know about their reservations and possible solution to their grievances. The group has already made clear it had nothing to do with the clash between the officers of the Police Service of Pakistan and Provincial Civil Service since they both are fighting only for their own rights. 

Efforts were made by this correspondent to seek comments from ministers Inayatullah and Shah Farman but they didn’t respond to the queries.