LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly’s Committee on Law Reforms and Delegated Legislation has called for “decolonising” and reforming archaic laws, replacing them with citizen-centric frameworks.

A meeting of the body, empowered under the amended Rules of Procedure, held here on Tuesday, presided over by Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmed Khan, directed the Punjab law secretary to submit a comprehensive report on the status of implementation of 18th Amendment, legal and administrative steps taken, or needed to be taken, in the province to fully realise the potential of the amendment and to align the governance with constitutional principles and democratic norms.

The speaker reiterated the need to replace colonial-era, oppressive frameworks with modern, democratic, and citizen-focused legislation.

The meeting followed a recent ruling by the speaker in which he emphasised that in a democracy, elected members of the assembly, particularly ministers, are answerable to the public, not department secretaries.

He said that ministers must have the authority to ensure effective oversight of their departments and stressed that the assembly is committed to empowering elected representatives through reforms.

The meeting, prompted by concerns raised in the house by MPA Ahmar Bhatti, focused on the lack of institutionalised oversight mechanisms for the police under the Police Order, 2002, and broader legislative reforms.

The committee unanimously raised concerns over the non-establishment of Public Safety and Complaints Commissions, both at provincial and district levels, a statutory requirement under the Police Order, 2002, that remains unimplemented even after 22 years.

It directed the government to establish the provincial commission within two weeks, as an assurance was given about amending the Police Order, 2002, to remove procedural hurdles in the formation of district commissions.

A subcommittee, chaired by MPA Amjad Ali Javed, was constituted to monitor the establishment of the provincial commission, identify barriers to operationalising district commissions, and report actionable recommendations to the main committee.

The meeting was attended by legal experts, policymakers, and observers and was live telecast to ensure transparency.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2024