Key Takeaways
- Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry warned against proposed changes to KP Police Act.
- Changes could weaken the police command structure, affecting law and order and anti-terrorism efforts.
- Chaudhry questioned the provincial government's authority to legislate beyond constitutional limits.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry has criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s proposed law to replace the KP Police Act, 2017, warning that changes to the police command structure could affect the force’s ability to maintain law and order and fight terrorism.
The KP government approved the proposed law on Wednesday, which curtails the powers of the inspector general of police (IGP) by making the police chief’s operational, administrative, and financial decisions subject to approval from the provincial government or chief minister.
Addressing the media in Islamabad, Chaudhry stated that policing and the maintenance of public order are primarily provincial subjects under the constitutional framework established by the 18th Amendment, but provinces do not have unlimited powers to legislate beyond the Constitution and existing legal frameworks.
He argued that the proposed law does not merely curtail the powers of the IGP but 'dismantles the entire command structure,' and would strip regional police officers, who are deputy inspectors general (DIGs), of the authority to appoint grade-17 officers, including deputy superintendents of police (DSPs).
Additional inspectors general would no longer be able to make appointments to grade-17, 18, and 19 posts that are not field postings. Chaudhry alleged that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is seeking to bring the entire system under his 'personal and political control.'
The minister also questioned whether police officers would continue to take decisions on professional grounds if the command structure was weakened, warning that the move could affect 'discipline and morale within the force.'
Chaudhry criticised the inadequate resources for the KP Police, including lower salaries compared to those of police forces in other provinces. He also questioned the availability of protective equipment, armoured vehicles, security arrangements, forensic laboratories, and residential facilities for police personnel.
He further questioned the proposed composition of a six-member body under the new law, which would comprise members of the provincial assembly. Chaudhry alleged that the provincial government is not including opposition members, civil society representatives, journalists, police officers, and judges, who could provide valuable advice.
Instead, he alleged, the provincial government is seeking to limit the composition to members of the provincial assembly, which could undermine the effectiveness of the police force.
You cannot change the command structure of a police force that is fighting terrorism, losing its personnel every day, and continuing to perform its duties and make sacrifices despite limited resources, through legislation that is inconsistent with Pakistan’s Constitution and the PSP rules.
Tallal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Interior
