KP Government Decides to Amend Police Act 2017, Drafts Plan to Give Province Power to Appoint IG
Mian Nadeem
Published September 15, 2026 | 06:24 PM
The proposed amendment would also grant the chief minister authority to appoint and transfer RPOs and DPOs, while policing is currently a provincial, not federal, subject.
PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 15th Sep, 2026) The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to amend the Police Act 2017. According to sources, a draft amendment has been prepared to confer on the province the authority to appoint the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Sources revealed that under the amendment, the chief minister would also be empowered to appoint and transfer Regional Police Officers (RPOs) and District Police Officers (DPOs), akin to the bureaucracy.
The suggested revisions would additionally establish a Public Safety Commission to oversee policing.
Aftab Alam, Provincial Law Minister, stated that enhancements were being made to the Police Act 2017. He emphasized that policing is a provincial domain, not a federal one.
He added that the aim was to improve checks and balances over the police to prevent authority misuse.
The provincial law minister recalled that the Peshawar High Court had stripped the province of its authority over RPOs and DPOs transfers through an unconstitutional ruling. He affirmed that police powers were not being diminished but rather further strengthened.
It is worth noting that the Peshawar High Court had previously invalidated the amendments concerning the posting and transfer of RPOs and DPOs, restituting these powers to the inspector general.
