KP to appoint IG under proposed Police Act amendments

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to amend the Police Act 2017 with a draft prepared to give the province authority over the appointment of the inspector general of police, media reports said on Tuesday.

Under the proposed amendments, the chief minister would also have the authority to appoint and transfer regional police officers (RPOs) and district police officers (DPOs), similar to the system followed for bureaucratic postings, the reports said, citing sources.

The draft also proposes the establishment of a Public Safety Commission to oversee policing in the province.

Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam said that the government was seeking to improve the Police Act 2017, arguing that policing was a provincial subject and did not fall under the federal government’s authority. He said the proposed changes were aimed at strengthening checks and balances over the police to prevent misuse of powers.

The minister also criticised a Peshawar High Court decision, saying the court had “taken away” the province’s authority over the transfers and postings of RPOs and DPOs through what he described as an unconstitutional ruling.

He said the proposed amendments would not curtail police powers but would instead improve the policing system.

The development follows an earlier Peshawar High Court decision in which amendments concerning the posting and transfer of RPOs and DPOs were struck down, restoring the relevant powers to the inspector general of police.