By Our Correspondent
LAHORE: A significant meeting of the Committee on Legal Reforms and Subordinate Legislation was held at the Punjab Assembly Secretariat under the chairmanship of Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan. The meeting undertook a detailed review of the recent amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, 1997. The Committee deliberated on various recommendations aimed at improving rules and regulations, ensuring effective implementation, and strengthening parliamentary oversight.
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Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan directed that all relevant departments and institutions be timely and formally informed about the new parliamentary reforms to ensure their effective implementation.
The meeting also conducted a comprehensive review of Section 55 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, and expressed serious concerns over its colonial background. The Committee observed that the provision allowing action against individuals who apparently lack means of subsistence effectively criminalizes poverty and unemployment, which is inconsistent with modern constitutional and democratic values. It was further emphasized that such terminology represents remnants of exploitative colonial legislation and has no place in the present era. The Committee made it clear that poverty, unemployment, homelessness, or lack of resources cannot, in themselves, justify police action against any citizen.
The Committee stressed the need for immediate amendments to Section 55 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and called for a comprehensive review of similar outdated and coercive legal provisions. Punjab Police was directed to provide complete data regarding actions, arrests, and cases registered under Section 55 to enable a thorough assessment of the law’s application.
The meeting also discussed in detail the effective implementation of the Police Order, 2002, and the establishment of an institutional framework for democratic accountability of the police. The Committee emphasized the urgent need to establish the Provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission and called for the immediate removal of legal and administrative hurdles in setting up such commissions at the district level.
On this occasion, Speaker Punjab Assembly Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan stated that while police autonomy is essential, it must be accompanied by effective democratic accountability. The Committee concluded that without robust police accountability mechanisms, good governance, transparency, and public trust cannot be achieved.
