LAHORE: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday directed the Punjab government to prepare a new police reforms’ draft following “serious apprehensions” shown by the senior (police) officials.

PM Khan issued directions to the effect in a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and IGP Punjab retired Capt Arif Nawaz at the Prime Minister’s House on Monday.

“PM Khan has given them a week to prepare new draft of police reforms and submit to him within the stipulated time,” Additional IGP Punjab Inam Ghani confirmed to Dawn.

Another official in the Punjab police told this reporter that the IGP apprised the premier of his reservations on the recently introduced reforms for the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and Punjab.

Move comes in after apprehensions by senior policemen on DCs’ role

The recently introduced draft of police reforms was prepared by the committee headed by the interior secretary but it generated a controversy over the major role of the provincial bureaucracy.

The senior police officers had threatened to quit when they came to know that they were to work under the deputy commissioners.

“We are happy to know that the prime minister ordered withdrawal of the controversial draft and directed the Buzdar administration to come up with a new draft addressing the reservations of all stakeholders,” the senior official of Punjab police said.

“We hope IGP Nawaz will have the input of the senior serving and retired police officers before finalising the fresh draft in this respect,” he added.

He said the IGP Punjab told the premier that the draft which sparked controversy was prepared without taking police officers on board. He said police were a major stakeholder and should have been consulted.

The IGP told him that the chief ministers and police chiefs of both Punjab and KP were members of the committee to make the proposal of police reforms in respective provinces.

However, the police chiefs were called in an introductory meeting by the committee before finalising the draft reforms.

Mr Arif said police had already done a lot of work on the alternative reforms, seeking his (premier) permission to submit to him new draft according to his (PM) vision to improve service delivery.

Mr Arif shortly after reaching Lahore called a meeting of senior police officers on Tuesday (today) to tell them about his interaction with the prime minister and initiate working on the fresh draft law of police reforms.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2019