ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudry on Thursday warned that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police bill approved by the provincial cabinet was in contravention of the Constitution and the rules governing the Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) and would affect command, discipline, morale and the force’s ability to fight terrorism.

The draft law links the police chief’s operational, administrative and finan-cial decisions to the approval of the provincial government or the chief minister for implementation.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Chaudry said policing and law and order were provincial subjects after the 18th Amendment, but provinces did not have unrestricted authority to legislate outside the constitutional framework.

The remarks came a day after the KP Cabinet approved the draft law seeking to replace the KP Police Act, 2017, in a move to rein in the inspector general of police.

Tallal warns legislation will hit anti-terror fight in the province

“Just as provinces cannot create separate armed forces, railways or naval services, they cannot introduce laws that override established PSP rules,” he claimed, adding that PSP rules, developed under the federal system and upheld by high courts and the Supreme Court, provided the basis for the command and administrative structure of the police and could not be set aside through provincial legislation.

The minister said the new law does not only curtail the authority of the Inspector General (IG), it dismantles the entire chain of command.

He pointed out that powers relating to appointment and posting of officers from DSP and above, particularly in grades 17, 18 and 19, which were previously exercised by senior police command, have now been taken away from the police hierarchy and concentrated with the provincial government.

While chief ministers already had authority to consult and issue directions regarding postings and transfers, he said, those powers were traditionally limited to protect command structure, discipline and morale. Mr Chaudry said the legislation was a complete reversal of KP’s own reforms.

He recalled that the province had earlier promoted depoliticisation of institutions through the Durrani Commission, which led to the 2017 police law, considered a model.

The new Act, he said, was a major departure from that framework. Raising questions over how senior positions in grades 19 to 22 would now be filled if the role of PSP officers was reduced, he said the law was also likely to face legal scrutiny, as issues relating to transfers, postings and powers of police leadership had already been examined by the Sindh High Court, Peshawar High Court and the Supreme Court.

He said the real issues facing KP police were not command but capacity. The force, which had been fighting terrorism for two decades and rendering continuous sacrifices, was underpaid, under-equipped and under-resourced, he added.

“KP police personnel receive lower salaries than their counterparts in other provinces, while compensation for martyrs is also lower,” he said.

The force lacked bulletproof jackets, bulletproof vehicles, safe city systems, forensic laboratories and even proper residential infrastructure. He noted that the Counter-Terrorism Department in KP was still operating from rented buildings despite 20 years of terrorism, and several such rented facilities had been attacked by terrorists, resulting in deaths of policemen and civilians.

Questioning the utilisation of counterterrorism funds allocated under the National Finance Commission award, he asked how much of the resources had actually been spent on strengthening policing. He said the Safe City project in Peshawar was completed after considerable delay, while modern policing required safe city systems, forensic labs, drones and surveillance technology.

Drawing a comparison, he said border check posts in Punjab were equipped with protective infrastructure, surveillance systems and bulletproof vehicles. In contrast, KP policemen were confronting terrorists equipped with night-vision devices, drones and advanced weapons without proper training and equipment.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2026