In major U-turn, PTI govt okays changes to Police Act

PESHAWAR: The provincial government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has taken a major policy u-turn by approving amendments to the Police Act 2017.

The PTI government has decided to transfer the powers of posting and transfers from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) back to the chief minister.

In 2017, PTI’s founding leader, Imran Khan, announced de-politicisation of the police, and chief minister Pervez Khattak surrendered his powers to the police chief. The provincial assembly approved the Police Act 2017 to transfer all the powers to the police chief.

For several years, PTI leaders took credit for police reforms and removing political interference from the police. Under the 2017 Police Act, the police were granted full autonomy, with the authority for all appointments and transfers given to the IGP.

A meeting of the provincial cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, was held, and amendments to the Police Act 2017 were presented.

According to responsible sources, the power to transfer and post officers of Grade 18 and above will now rest with the chief minister. The government will appoint DIGs and District Police Officers (DPOs) in all regions of the province.

According to documents, the cabinet was informed that the KP Police Act 2017 was implemented to ensure that the police would be politically neutral, democratically controlled, effectively accountable, administratively and operationally autonomous, and a highly specialised institution focused on community service. However, over time, it was felt that the police had failed to implement the true spirit of the 2017 Act. Therefore, the following amendments are being proposed.

To improve police performance, its oversight will be handed over to the government. Police management will be subject to the policies and supervision of the chief minister. Postings and transfers will be conducted according to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rules of Business 1985. However, for better administration, the authority for transfers of Grade 17 and 18 officers, other than the DPOs, will remain with the police chief. Institutional annual planning in the police will be subject to government policy decisions. The method of investigation within the police will be as per the Police Order 2002.

The amendments say the department will be granted the authority to review any orders passed by a competent authority within the police. At the district level, the administrative role of the police should align with the KP Civil Administration Public Service Delivery and Good Governance Act 2020. Since the Public Safety Commission has not been formed due to its illogical structure, an alternative independent and autonomous body for receiving complaints will be established. This body will be empowered to investigate cases and matters of complaints against the police and take disciplinary action against those responsible.

Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur stated that due to the Police Act 2017, the government has been powerless, and all authority lies with the police chief, while the responsibility for law & order falls on the government. He added that a summary of the transfer of police officers would be presented, which would be approved by the chief minister.

Meanwhile, Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, the Chief Minister’s Adviser on Information, while speaking to the News, said that governments amend laws according to circumstances and laws are further improved for the public in light of experiences.

He mentioned that the cabinet has approved important amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Act 2017, which will remove obstacles in enforcing effective law in the province. The proposed changes aim to strengthen the police capabilities, enhance accountability, improve public-police relations and address flaws in the current legislation. He added that the purpose of these amendments is to achieve high performance standards while maintaining police discipline.