The Punjab government, on the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has decided to form a Police Reform Commission under the leadership of Nasir Khan Durrani, the former Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police and an incumbent Member of the Punjab Public Service Commission.
According to a report in the local media, Durrani was offered a slot in the Punjab provincial cabinet, but he was unwilling to take up a political post. Similarly, he was also considered for a position which would place him in charge of the Punjab Home Department, but he was not interested in a full-time job, the report revealed.
The Police Reform Commission to be led by Durrani is expected to recommend measures to “transform the otherwise highly politicised Punjab police into a professional outfit which would be politically neutral, operationally autonomous, service oriented and externally accountable.”
The Durrani-led commission would also include some reputed members of the Police Service of Pakistan and others. It would work as a professional body, rather than as an entity associated with any political party.
The report further said that the chairman and members of the commission would retain their present positions and work voluntarily on the police reform agenda, without benefiting from any additional remuneration or perks.
They said that Imran Khan had been keen to engage Nasir Durrani, who reformed the KP police during the last Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf provincial administration, either as home affairs adviser or special assistant to the Punjab chief minister.
Though, Durrani politely declined the offers of political office, he was willing to help the government to reform the provincial police while continuing on as a Punjab Public Service Commission member. Durrani was appointed to the post by the then chief minister, Shehbaz Sharif, after his retirement for the police service.
Police reforms are one of the major commitments of Imran Khan and the PTI has promised to professionalise police hiring and career management, ensuring no political interference in police matters such the hiring, posting and transferring of personnel.