Online backlash puts KP lawmakers’ perks laws back under spotlight

PESHAWAR: Laws passed by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly in late April granting broader benefits and protections to lawmakers have come under fresh criticism after portions of the legislation began circulating on social media this week.

The renewed debate centres on two enactments approved on April 30: the KP Province (Salaries and Allowances of Members) Act and the KP Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act, 2026. A third measure dealing with the speaker’s salary and allowances was also part of the package. The governor signed the legislation in early May, but it drew little public attention at the time.

Perks and privileges questioned

Criticism has focused on provisions that expand facilities available to members of the provincial assembly. The measures include higher allowances and access to government rest houses, airport VIP lounges, toll tax exemption, and security arrangements. The law also states that members are entitled to an official passport, and extends the same facility to their spouses for life, subject to applicable federal law.

Another provision now under scrutiny appears in the amended privileges law. It provides for imprisonment of up to six months, a fine, or both, for publishing proceedings or evidence that the assembly has ordered to be kept confidential. The clause has triggered online concern about its possible effect on transparency and media reporting.

Government response and opposition criticism

PML-N Parliamentary Leader in the National Assembly Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry criticised the legislation in a post on X, saying the provincial government was giving preference to legislators’ benefits instead of public welfare. He questioned provisions related to toll tax exemption, official passports, arms licences and free stay at government guest houses, saying such matters were not among the province’s urgent public concerns.

K-P Chief Minister’s spokesperson Shafi Jan rejected claims that the assembly had approved blue passports for lawmakers and their spouses or enacted a law under which journalists could be jailed for six months. He called such reports false and baseless, and said passport issuance falls under the federal government’s jurisdiction and that no such privilege had been inserted through the legislation.

However, the enacted Members’ Salaries and Allowances Act says members shall be entitled to an official passport, with the same facility available to their spouses for life, subject to applicable federal law. The Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act also includes a clause providing for up to six months’ imprisonment and a fine for publishing proceedings or evidence that the assembly has directed to remain confidential.

Pay defence and transparency concerns

Defending the rise in lawmakers’ remuneration, Shafi Jan said legislators in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa were the lowest-paid in the country and received a monthly salary of Rs175,000. He said members in Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and the National Assembly were paid much more, and argued that the new law only moved K-P lawmakers closer to what their counterparts elsewhere receive.

The episode has also raised questions about public access to the legislation. Although the laws took effect in May, they were not available on the KP Assembly’s official website or in its online archive of legislation when the report was filed, even as excerpts were being widely shared on social media.

Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency Chairman Ahmad Bilal Mehboob said public reaction to raises for legislators is often negative because politicians generally have a poor public image and many people do not know the wider context of such increases.

He said lawmakers should be compensated adequately because the work is effectively full-time and not every legislator comes from wealth. Mehboob said, "Being legislators is a full-time job and every legislator doesn't come from an affluent class. Legislators, therefore, need to be paid a market salary."

At the same time, he questioned some of the additional benefits approved under the laws. "For life diplomatic passports for legislators and their families is an uncalled-for demand. Similarly, multiple licences for prohibited bore arms is another unreasonable demand and amounts to seeking a status above the law. Legislators should focus on legislation and oversight of the executive rather than seeking unreasonable perks"