Cabinet meeting put off till tomorrow

The meeting of the Sindh cabinet that was earlier scheduled to be held on Monday will now be held on Wednesday (tomorrow) at 6pm in the committee room of the new Sindh Secretariat building.

A circular has been issued to this effect by the additional secretary (general administration) of the Sindh government’s Services, General Administration & Coordination Department. Among other subjects, the cabinet meeting will review the bill to revive the Police Order 2002 and abolish the Police Act 1861 after Governor Imran Ismail refused to give his assent to the proposed law passed by the provincial assembly.

While returning the bill last month, the governor had raised the objections that the newly passed bill was different to a large extent from the original Police Order 2002, and that it also negated several directions of the courts regarding the administration and supervision of the provincial police force.

In this regard, the governor had signed a five-page summary that read that he was returning the bill to the PA for reconsideration. He appreciated the fact that the provincial government wanted to change the 158-year-old Police Act 1861 to introduce reforms in the police force and ensure an independent, accountable and autonomous police without any political interference in its affairs. He, however, lamented that the proposed bill was not achieving these objectives.

The summary read that the Police Order 2002 was a federal law, and that a judgment of the Supreme Court had established the concurrent jurisdiction of the Police Order.