Maryam Nawaz bans permanent police escorts and official flags for Punjab ministers and MPAs without authorisation

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has banned permanent police escorts for cabinet members, advisers, special assistants, parliamentary secretaries, standing committee chairs, MPAs, government officers and private individuals unless they hold valid authorisation, and barred anyone not legally entitled from flying an official flag on a vehicle, the Punjab government said on X, ARY News reported on Friday 23 October.

The order, issued by the Chief Minister's Office as "Chief Minister's Priority Instructions", tells the Inspector General of Police to withdraw every escort found deployed without authorisation and to make sure the order is followed at once.

What changes on the road

• No permanent escort without paperwork: a minister, MPA or officer can no longer keep a police vehicle and guards as a standing arrangement unless it has been formally authorised.
• No flagstaff on unentitled cars: the official flag on a car bonnet is reserved for those the law entitles to it.
• Private people included: the order names private individuals too, the group most often accused of using police guards as a status symbol.

For Lahore, Rawalpindi and Faisalabad drivers, the visible effect should be fewer convoys with flashing lights pushing through traffic. The order does not set a penalty for anyone who keeps an escort; the stated consequence is that the escort is taken away.

Police told to fix law and order in four weeks

The same day, the chief minister gave Punjab police four weeks to improve law and order, with a focus on crimes against women and children, and warned that officers would be dismissed if things did not improve, ARY reported. She raised particular concern about Rawalpindi Division and ordered action against serious crime, corruption inside the force and illegal weapons, at a meeting joined by district and regional police officers by video link.

Freeing officers from escort duty puts more of them back on ordinary policing, which is the link between the two orders.

Earlier this week Lahore traffic police also said they would register FIRs, not just issue challans, for dangerous driving (our story). For what a car costs to keep legally on the road in Punjab, see our token tax calculator.