Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has banned unauthorised police escorts for provincial cabinet members, advisers, special assistants and other individuals without proper authorisation.
According to instructions issued by the Chief Minister’s Office on October 22, no police escort may be permanently assigned to members of the provincial cabinet, members of the provincial assembly, government officers or private individuals without valid authorisation.
What the ban on unauthorised police escorts says
The notification, titled “Chief Minister’s Priority Instructions”, was announced by the provincial government in a statement posted on X on Friday. It says the chief minister has ordered immediate action against the unauthorised use of official protocol.
Under the instructions, unauthorised police escorts cannot be permanently assigned to provincial cabinet members, advisers, special assistants to the chief minister, parliamentary secretaries, standing committee chairpersons, members of the Provincial Assembly, government officers or private individuals.
The directives also prohibit individuals who are not legally entitled from using flagstaffs or official flags on vehicles. Government cars with official flags have long been a visible symbol of status in Lahore and other Punjab cities, and the order targets their misuse directly.
The Provincial Police Officer, also known as the Inspector General of Police, has been directed to ensure immediate compliance with the instructions. Police have been ordered to withdraw all escorts found to be deployed without valid authorisation.
Part of a wider law-and-order push
The protocol crackdown follows the chief minister’s tough message to the police on law and order. Earlier this week, Maryam Nawaz gave the Punjab police a four-week deadline to improve the law and order situation in the province, warning that officers would be removed over crimes against women and children, as Feature Pakistan reported in Maryam Nawaz gives Punjab police four-week deadline.
The two moves fit a single pattern: the chief minister is pressing the police simultaneously to perform better and to stop diverting manpower to VIP protocol. Every officer assigned to an unauthorised escort is an officer not available for policing, a point the government has made in its statements on the order.
The announcement, posted by the Government of Punjab’s official X account on October 22, was also carried by national outlets including ARY News and The Nation, confirming the notification’s contents.
The accountability theme extends beyond the province. At the federal level, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has separately been pressing for accountability in the government’s dealings with international consultants, as reported in Shehbaz calls for accountability in consultant partnerships.
Frequently asked questions
Who is affected by the Punjab protocol ban?
Provincial cabinet members, advisers, special assistants to the chief minister, parliamentary secretaries, standing committee chairpersons, MPAs, government officers and private individuals. None of them can keep a permanently assigned police escort without valid authorisation.
What about official flags on vehicles?
Individuals who are not legally entitled to do so are barred from installing flagstaffs or displaying official flags on their vehicles.
Who will enforce the order?
The Provincial Police Officer and Inspector General of Police have been directed to implement the instructions immediately and withdraw all police escorts deployed without valid authorisation.
