New police law to put CM in charge of Sindh’s LEA, says minister

The Sindh government has decided to amend the Police Act 1861 because it was formulated in the British colonial era and is quite outdated for the 21st century, said the law minister on Thursday.

Ziaul Hassan broke the news to the media following a meeting that reviewed the draft of the proposed Sindh Police Act 2017, which, when approved, would replace the outdated act.

Hassan said that under the new police act, the chief minister would be the supreme authority of the provincial law enforcement agency (LEA), adding that after finalising the draft, the proposed act would be presented in the Sindh Assembly for approval.

He said the government had consulted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s police act to devise a similar one for Sindh. He added that under the new act, the tenure of every police officer appointed on a particular post, including that of the provincial police chief, would be accordingly determined and specified.

The law minister said a new service cadre for the LEA would be introduced under the new act, adding that a community-based police system would also be developed, as major reforms would be made in the current system.

He said a provincial police authority would be established with the CM as its head, adding that the new act would benefit the people because it would implement a proper system of checks and balances to monitor the LEA.

Hassan said a committee for coordination and monitoring would also be formed, adding that the reforms and amendments introduced in the police act had considered the best interests of the people.

He said that it was unfair to claim that the amendments in the police act were a ploy to remove the present Sindh police chief. Thursday’s meeting was attended by the provincial administration’s secretaries for the law and home departments, the advocate general, the prosecutor general and other relevant officials.