LAHORE, Oct 29: The Punjab government has decided in principle to retain the office of home secretary and not to give the IGP the ex-officio status of a secretary, official sources informed Dawn on Tuesday.

It has been decided to give all financial and administrative powers to the IGP to run his department. However, he would have to send all files pertaining to policy issues to the home secretary who alone had the authority to forward them for provincial chief executive’s approval, the sources said.

The secretary status for IGP was one of the points in the Police Order 2002 that were opposed by provincial governments. The president enacted the order on Aug 14 in place of the colonial Police Act of 1861.

Those opposing the status were of the view that conceptually, police was an arm of the government and not the government itself. The IGP’s status of a secretary would lead to further erosion of the control exercized by the state over police after abolition of the office of deputy commissioner.

Official sources said the authorities in the Punjab had decided in principle not to give the secretary status to the IGP while making amendments to the rules of business, which would be announced shortly. Police had prepared the

amendments to seek full administrative and financial authority of the secretary for the IGP under the Police Order 2002, they said.

They said the Police Order had given vast powers to police, but as in the case of CrPc, provinces were given concurrent jurisdiction to amend it for necessary administrative adjustments.

The jurisdiction came in view of the objections of the provinces that under the 1973 constitution, police was a provincial subject, sources said.

Under the Police Act 1861, the IGP was the head of a department attached to the provincial home department.

Sources said the decision not to allow the status of secretary to the IGP had been taken in accordance with the law under which secretaries of the regulation and implementation and coordination departments or special secretaries had no authority to move files to the chief secretary for approval of a policy.

They said it had been decided that all summaries including budget proposals and major issues pertaining to police would be forwarded by the home secretary to the chief executive.

The IGP would have administrative and financial powers to run his department only. He could buy vehicles, but would have to seek permission, through the home secretary, for changing their type or model, they said. Again, the source said, the IGP would have powers to transfer and post only low-grade officials and officers. The approval of the chief executive for transfer and posting and other service matters of senior officers would be sought through the home secretary, they said. “In seeking the authority of secretary for the IGP, police wanted to have powers to send summaries to the chief executive directly . However, this is not possible under the law,” the sources maintained.