Cabinet strips K-P IG of posting powers

Law enforcement in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has been stripped of key powers after the provincial cabinet approved amendments to the Police Act of 2017 on Wednesday.

The decision will strip the provincial inspector general (IG) of his authority over transfers and postings.

Now, the chief minister will have the power to transfer officers from Grade 18 to the rank of additional IG.

District police officers (DPOs) and deputy inspector generals (DIGs) will report to the chief minister instead of the IG. However, the status of the Special Branch will remain unchanged.

Former K-P IG Akhtar Ali Shah told Express that there is no issue in giving the chief minister authority over police investigations and operations under the Anti-Terrorism Act, as it would enhance police performance.

He noted that before the 2017 Police Act, the Police Order of 2002 gave a section officer the authority to transfer officers from Grades 18 to 21, based on government orders.

He questioned whether policing had improved since the 2017 act. He also asked if street crime had decreased, and whether law and order had improved. A ques or police behavior had changed. He believes that by improving the investigative system under the Anti-Terrorism Act and the Criminal Procedure Code, the police can ensure justice and facilitate the public. Since the government provides the police budget, and the government is accountable to the public through the assembly, there is no harm in giving the Chief Minister this authority.

However, senior officers within the K-P police, especially from the PSP cadre, have expressed concerns over these amendments, fearing that the police will now be answerable to the government, like the bureaucracy, which could affect performance.

Former IG Motorway and former IG Sindh, Iftikhar Rasheed, also shared his concerns with Express. He said that if subordinate officers are not accountable to the police chief, the institution will collapse. He recalled that in 2021, under former prime minister Imran Khan, the K-P government also attempted to amend the Police Act, but the former IGs' forum had written a letter to the Prime Minister, former Chief Minister, and Secretary Home, expressing their concerns, which led to the amendment being halted.

He questioned how dual authority can function and said that a strategy to respond to the removal of police powers would soon be devised.

The K-P Police Act 2017 was a significant piece of legislation aimed at reforming the law enforcement structure in the province. It replaced the Police Order of 2002, and was designed to provide greater autonomy and operational independence to the police force.