Punjab Approves Creation of Riot Management Force

LAHORE: The Punjab Cabinet Standing Committee on Legislative and Privatization Affairs has approved the establishment of a Riot Management Force under the Right to Peaceful Protest Act 2024. The decision was taken during the committee’s 24th meeting at the Civil Secretariat, chaired by Punjab Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman.

The committee cleared an eight-point agenda that also included proposed amendments to the Forest Act 1927, revisions to the Punjab Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Act 2022, and approval of a Letter of Intent to enhance ties between Punjab and China’s Guizhou Province.

Minister Shuja-ur-Rehman said the new Riot Management Force would uphold citizens’ democratic right to peaceful protest while ensuring law and order. “This force will prevent violent incidents such as those of May 9,” he noted, adding that amendments would be made to the Police Order 2002 to formalize the measure.

On social reforms, he said changes to the Disabilities Act would expand access to opportunities, including for the visually impaired. Environmental reforms will see a strengthened framework for forest and wildlife protection, with higher penalties for illegal logging and poaching, and the creation of a dedicated Forest Force.

Law Minister Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bharath endorsed the Forest Department’s draft amendments and suggested further measures to enhance conservation. Concluding the session, Shuja-ur-Rehman called the Riot Management Force “a need of the hour,” stressing the importance of selecting resilient personnel and providing training in crowd psychology.