Peshawar: (RightNow) The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet, led by Chief Minister Sohaib Afridi, has approved the draft of the Police Act 2026. This act grants the provincial government the authority to appoint the Inspector General (IG) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to the proposed act, if the provincial government is dissatisfied with the IG’s performance, it can request new nominations from the federal government. In the IG’s absence, the Additional IG Headquarters will assume charge. Transfers of DSPs and ASPs will be handled by the Home Secretary.

The Chief Minister will have the authority to transfer SPs, SSPs, and Additional IGs. The Department of Administration will issue their appointment notifications. In legal matters, the police will not submit responses directly; these will be approved by the Department of Law and the AG Office.

The Police Policy Board will now be chaired by the Chief Minister instead of the IG. All operational, administrative, and financial policies of the police will be under the Chief Minister’s control, subject to provincial government directives.

It is important to note that the approval of the Police Act in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa aims to ensure transparency and effective governance in administrative matters. Previously, there were some disputes regarding police powers.