KP to withdraw contentious clauses from lawmakers’ privileges law

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to remove controversial provisions from a recently enacted law that had broadened the powers and privileges of provincial lawmakers, following strong public and media criticism.

The KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, was passed by the provincial assembly in April. According to the law, members and their spouses were to receive blue passports, lawmakers were to be granted arms licences, members were given blanket immunity from preventive detention, and the speaker’s approval was made necessary before any member could be arrested on criminal charges.

The legislation drew widespread backlash, after which Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday ordered a review of the law. In a video message posted on X on Friday, Information Minister Shafi Jan said the provincial government had now decided to roll back the disputed parts of the legislation.

Attributing the decision to the chief minister’s directions, Jan said cabinet members met Afridi earlier in the day and Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati also joined through video link. He said the decision was taken in consultation with the speaker.

“On the directives of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the provincial government has decided to withdraw all controversial provisions incorporated into the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026", he stated.

Jan added that the contentious clauses would be revised in line with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Powers, Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1988, parts of which had been repealed by the new law.

“All controversial clauses will be restored and corrected in accordance with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Powers, Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1988", he stated.

He also said a meeting would be held on Monday to take parliamentary leaders into confidence. According to the minister, the provincial assembly had been formed on the basis of the people’s genuine mandate and would not take decisions contrary to public aspirations. He further said the provincial government would hear and address the concerns of journalists as well as the wider public.

Governor seeks uniform framework

Separately, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi called for a unified national approach to lawmakers’ salaries, privileges and entitlements. In a post on X, he asked National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani to convene a meeting of the speakers of all four provincial assemblies and agree on a single harmonised bill for legislators across the country.

“No province should legislate extraordinary privileges for itself while expecting the people to embrace austerity. Salaries, security, official passports, allowances and every other entitlement should be uniform across the federation, ensuring one standard for all,” he stated.

Kundi said a harmonised national framework was necessary to ensure fairness, accountability and public confidence.

In another post, the governor, who had assented to the law on May 6, said his observations on the legislation had been clear from the outset. He said no law should be used to expand privileges at a time when people in Pakistan, especially in KP, were being asked to bear austerity and economic hardship. He added that he had called for implementation of the law in line with fiscal discipline and prudent use of public resources.

“A government that speaks of financial constraints cannot, in the same breath, legislate greater privileges for those in power. My position was clear then, and it remains unchanged today: public money belongs to the people, not to the perks of those who govern them,” he said.

Kundi also shared a note containing his observations on the law. In it, he said he was assenting to the bill in exercise of his constitutional authority while recognising it as constitutionally valid.

“In exercise of my constitutional authority, I hereby give my assent to the bill, recognising it constitutionally valid,” the note reads.

He said he had strongly recommended that the provincial assembly finance committee implement the prime minister’s 14-point austerity measures, including expenditure cuts, fuel rationing and the elimination of unnecessary privileges, while executing the law. The note added that this was intended to preserve fiscal discipline despite assent and align provincial legislative practice with the federal government’s economic emergency framework amid the US-Iran war and global instability. It concluded by saying the finance committee could reconsider the law to apply those principles in true letter and spirit.