LAHORE, Aug 7: Most of the objections raised by the Punjab to the draft Police Ordinance, 2002, have been addressed before their being taken up by the federal cabinet in Islamabad on Wednesday.

Sources in the senior police hierarchy told Dawn superintendence and administration of the police department in the province were major concerns of the Punjab besides constitutional and legal flaws it pointed out in the draft ordinance.

The National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) had recommended that the federal government would select the IGPs on the advice of the National Safety Commission and all DIGs and SPs would be posted directly by the IGPs.

Secondly, the IGPs in the proposed draft had also been made all powerful on financial and administrative control of the police department.

On these grounds, the Punjab government had raised objections that led to the postponement of the approval of the ordinance by the federal cabinet in March.

However, the NRB, later, sought opinion and suggestions from the Punjab government, senior police hierarchy involved in the revamp, the law department and the other quarters concerned. Marathon meetings of all the quarters concerned were held and the issues were discussed in detail.

Finally, the sources say, the NRB agreed that the superintendence in its full spirit would remain a subject of the provinces with all powers vested in the chief executive of a province.

“The safety commission would have no role in the postings of the IGP and that of the DIGs and SPs would be made by the S&GAD departments of provincial governments on the recommendation of the police department.”

The sources say the NRB gave all the administrative control of the police department and the financial one to some extent to the IGPs. To use the finances, the IGPs would consult the finance departments and the other quarters concerned of their respective provincial governments. However, the police department would be free to spend the money allocated to it anywhere it wanted to.