Executive order to empower provinces

Oct 26, 2018- Following intense pressure from provincial governments--especially the Province 2 administration--to draft a federal law governing security deployment, the government is preparing to issue an executive order through a Cabinet decision to authorise provinces to handle their internal security affairs.

Since the federal Police Act has not been ready, the Home Ministry on Thursday registered a draft executive order at the prime minister’s secretariat to be tabled for Friday’s Cabinet meeting.

The executive order will enable provincial governments to mobilise police until the federal Police Act comes into force, said Surya Subedi, advisor to Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa.

According to Home Secretary Prem Kumar Rai, the ministry wants to clear the way for provincial governments to act based on the order before the federal government introduces the law through an ordinance.The developments follow the Province 2 government’s move to endorse the provincial Police Act before the corresponding federal law is passed and its preparations for other laws despite warning from the federal government not to rush the process.

The executive order will allow the respective provincial governments to deploy police in coordination with the Home Ministry and to make necessary transfers. Currently, forces led by the deputy inspector general of police have been deployed to the provinces under the federal government’s command.

“All the powers regarding the security of provinces would be devolved to the provincial governments through the executive order as the necessary federal Acts will take some more time to be drafted,” said Shalikram Jamarkattel, the Province 3 minister for internal affairs and law.

Internal affairs ministers have expressed serious concerns over the delay in drafting the federal police law as they have no authority to mobilise security personnel in their provinces.

“We are required to request the chief district officers to arrange for security,” said Jamarkattel. “Not even a single prison is under the provincial government.”