KP withdraws or reviews clauses expanding MPs’ privileges amid backlash over passports and immunity

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati on Monday referred the controversial legislation seeking to expand lawmakers’ powers and privileges to the house’s standing committee for review. In April, the provincial assembly passed the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, granting blue passports to members and their spouses, arms licenses, blanket immunity from preventive detention and making the speaker’s permission necessary before arresting members on criminal charges. The law faced harsh criticism from the media and the general public, prompting KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to order a review of the legislation last week. Moreover, KP Information Minister Shafi Jan had also announced that the government would withdraw the controversial clauses and restore them in accordance with the 1988 Act. Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, the information minister said that the committee would re-examine the controversial clauses. Jan said that the act had remained under discussion over the past several days, with concerns being raised by the journalist community, the general public and PTI workers regarding certain provisions. He said that taking these concerns into consideration, CM Afridi had also convened a meeting of the provincial cabinet. “Following consultations with the speaker of the provincial assembly, it was decided that the controversial clauses should be withdrawn for reconsideration,” he said. Jan stated that, in line with the chief minister’s directives, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the assembly speaker, attended by parliamentary leaders of all political parties as well as the leader of the opposition. He said that after hearing the views of all participants, the speaker directed that the disputed provisions be referred back to the Standing Committee on Privileges. The information minister added that since the bill had originally been presented by the Standing Committee on Privileges, the committee would review the contentious provisions within one week and align them with the provisions of the 1988 Act. “Members of the journalist community and the public will also be welcomed if they submit their recommendations,” he said. The information minister added that most provisions of the new law were identical to those contained in the 1988 Act, with the exception of the clause relating to blue passports. However, he clarified that the draft approved by the provincial cabinet did not contain any provision extending blue passport facilities to members’ children or spouses, or granting them as a lifetime entitlement. He said the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa signed the bill on May 6 and that it was notified in the official Gazette on May 7, yet no objections were raised by any quarter at the time. “The issue has been deliberately highlighted to divert attention from the case involving Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s grandson,” he claimed. The information minister maintained that both the PTI and the provincial government had reservations over the slow pace of the investigation into the aforesaid incident and would not allow the matter to be brushed aside. The provincial minister further stated that similar amendments had already been introduced in Sindh and Punjab but had not generated comparable public debate. “Only 992 blue passports have been issued in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whereas approximately 56,000 have been issued across the country,” he stated, demanding that the complete facts and figures regarding blue passports be made public.

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati on Monday referred the controversial legislation seeking to expand lawmakers’ powers and privileges to the house’s standing committee for review. In April, the provincial assembly passed the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, granting blue passports to members and their spouses, arms licenses, blanket immunity from preventive detention and making the speaker’s permission necessary before arresting members on criminal charges. The law faced harsh criticism from the media and the general public, prompting KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to order a review of the legislation last week. Moreover, KP Information Minister Shafi Jan had also announced that the government would withdraw the controversial clauses and restore them in accordance with the 1988 Act. Addressing a press conference in Peshawar, the information minister said that the committee would re-examine the controversial clauses. Jan said that the act had remained under discussion over the past several days, with concerns being raised by the journalist community, the general public and PTI workers regarding certain provisions. He said that taking these concerns into consideration, CM Afridi had also convened a meeting of the provincial cabinet. “Following consultations with the speaker of the provincial assembly, it was decided that the controversial clauses should be withdrawn for reconsideration,” he said. Jan stated that, in line with the chief minister’s directives, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the assembly speaker, attended by parliamentary leaders of all political parties as well as the leader of the opposition. He said that after hearing the views of all participants, the speaker directed that the disputed provisions be referred back to the Standing Committee on Privileges. The information minister added that since the bill had originally been presented by the Standing Committee on Privileges, the committee would review the contentious provisions within one week and align them with the provisions of the 1988 Act. “Members of the journalist community and the public will also be welcomed if they submit their recommendations,” he said. The information minister added that most provisions of the new law were identical to those contained in the 1988 Act, with the exception of the clause relating to blue passports. However, he clarified that the draft approved by the provincial cabinet did not contain any provision extending blue passport facilities to members’ children or spouses, or granting them as a lifetime entitlement. He said the governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa signed the bill on May 6 and that it was notified in the official Gazette on May 7, yet no objections were raised by any quarter at the time. “The issue has been deliberately highlighted to divert attention from the case involving Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar’s grandson,” he claimed. The information minister maintained that both the PTI and the provincial government had reservations over the slow pace of the investigation into the aforesaid incident and would not allow the matter to be brushed aside. The provincial minister further stated that similar amendments had already been introduced in Sindh and Punjab but had not generated comparable public debate. “Only 992 blue passports have been issued in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, whereas approximately 56,000 have been issued across the country,” he stated, demanding that the complete facts and figures regarding blue passports be made public.

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday decided to withdraw the controversial clauses from recently enacted legislation that expanded lawmakers’ powers and privileges after widespread backlash. In April, the provincial assembly passed the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, granting blue passports to members and their spouses, arms licenses, blanket immunity from preventive detention and making the speaker’s permission necessary before arresting members on criminal charges. The law faced harsh criticism from the media and general public, prompting KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to order a review of the legislation on Wednesday. In a video message shared on X, KP Information Minister Shafi Jan said: “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 said that cabinet members met with the chief minister earlier in the day, adding that KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati also joined the meeting via video link. The minister said that, following the chief minister’s directives and in consultation with the assembly speaker, it was decided to withdraw all controversial clauses of the act. “All controversial clauses will be restored and corrected in accordance with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Powers, Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1988.” The law under discussion had repealed various provisions of the 1988 law on the same subject. Jan also added that a meeting would be held on Monday, during which parliamentary leaders would be taken into confidence. He said that the KP Assembly was formed on the basis of the people’s genuine mandate and, therefore, would not make any decision that ran contrary to public aspirations. “The provincial government will listen to and address the concerns of both the journalist community and the general public,” he reiterated. Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, in a post on social media platform X, asked National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gillani to immediately convene a meeting of the speakers of all four provincial assemblies and agree on a single, harmonised bill governing the salaries, privileges and entitlements of legislators across Pakistan. “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 further noted that a harmonised national framework was the only way to ensure “fairness, accountability and public confidence”. In a separate post, the governor, who had himself assented to the controversial law on May 6, shared his observations on the legislation. Kundi said that he had made it clear that no law should become a means of expanding privileges when the people of Pakistan, especially those in KP, were being asked to endure austerity and economic hardship. The governor said that he had called for the law to be implemented in the true spirit of fiscal discipline and the 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. He also shared a note based on his observations regarding the legislation. “In exercise of my constitutional authority, I hereby give my assent to the bill, recognising it constitutionally valid,” the note reads. “However, I strongly recommended the provincial assembly finance committee implement the Prime Minister’s 14-point austerity measures — including expenditure cuts, fuel rationing and elimination of unnecessary privileges-while executing the law. “This ensures fiscal discipline is maintained despite assent, aligning provincial legislative practices with the federal government’s economic emergency framework amid the US-Iran war and global instability. The finance committee may reconsider it to operationalise these principles in true letter and spirit,” it concluded.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday urged the National Assembly speaker and the Senate chairman to convene a meeting for deciding on a single bill for lawmakers’ privileges. His remarks come after the KP Assembly passed the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026 on April 30. The law expanded provincial assembly members’ powers and immunities, including the issuance of lifetime official passports to them and their spouses. Kundi had assen­ted to the law, alongside others, on May 6. However, following backlash, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi this week ordered a review of the new law’s provisions. In a post on the social media platform X, Kundi called on National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani to “immediately convene a meeting of the speakers of all four provincial assemblies and agree on a single, harmonised bill governing the salaries, privileges and entitlements of legislators across Pakistan”. “No province should legislate extraordinary privileges for itself while expecting the people to embrace austerity,” he said, adding that salaries, security, official passports, allowances and “every other entitlement” should be “uniform across the federation, ensuring one standard for all”. “A harmonised national framework is the only way to ensure fairness, accountability and public confidence,” he said. The post came shortly after he appeared to distance himself from KP’s new law, saying that his observations were “on record” and that “public money belongs to the people”. In a separate post on X, Kundi said his observations had been “on record since May” and that he had made it clear that “no law should become a means of expanding privileges when the people of Pakistan, especially the people of KP, were being asked to endure austerity and economic hardship”. He said he had urged that the law be implemented “in the true spirit of fiscal discipline and prudent use of public resources”, adding that “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,” Kundi said. In a copy of his observations published with the post, he recommended that the provincial assembly’s finance committee implement the spirit of the prime minister’s 14-point austerity measures, including expenditure cuts, fuel rationing and the elimination of unnecessary privileges. He also suggested that the committee reconsider the law to operationalise those principles “in true letter and spirit”. The privileges law expands provincial assembly members’ powers and immunities, including the issuance of lifetime official passports to them and their spouses, blanket immunity from preventive detention, and entitlement to licences for up to eight non-prohibited-bore weapons. Through the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, the government repealed the 1988 law on the matter. Although most provisions of the repealed law were retained in the new legislation, certain changes were made to expand the privileges of assembly members. The 1988 law provided that members could not be preventively detained during the period commencing 14 days before the start of an assembly session and ending 14 days after its conclusion. It also barred preventive detention during the period commencing seven days before the meeting of a committee of which the member was a part and ending seven days after the meeting concluded.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday appeared to distance himself from a new law expanding provincial assembly members’ powers and immunities, saying that his observations were “on record” and that “public money belongs to the people”. The KP Assembly passed the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, on April 30. Kundi had assen­ted to the law, alongside others, on May 6. However, following backlash, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi this week ordered a review of the new law’s provisions. In a statement posted on X on Friday, the governor said his observations had been “on record since May” and that he had made it clear that “no law should become a means of expanding privileges when the people of Pakistan, especially the people of KP, were being asked to endure austerity and economic hardship”. He said he had urged that the law be implemented “in the true spirit of fiscal discipline and prudent use of public resources”, adding that “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,” Kundi said. In a copy of his observations published with the post, he recommended that the provincial assembly’s finance committee implement the spirit of the prime minister’s 14-point austerity measures, including expenditure cuts, fuel rationing and the elimination of unnecessary privileges. He also suggested that the committee reconsider the law to operationalise those principles “in true letter and spirit”. The privileges law expands provincial assembly members’ powers and immunities, including the issuance of lifetime official passports to them and their spouses, blanket immunity from preventive detention, and entitlement to licences for up to eight non-prohibited-bore weapons. Through the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, the government repealed the 1988 law on the matter. Although most provisions of the repealed law were retained in the new legislation, certain changes were made to expand the privileges of assembly members. The 1988 law provided that members could not be preventively detained during the period commencing 14 days before the start of an assembly session and ending 14 days after its conclusion. It also barred preventive detention during the period commencing seven days before the meeting of a committee of which the member was a part and ending seven days after the meeting concluded.

PESHAWAR: As lawmakers from across the aisle in the KP Assembly joined hands to defend the controversial law granting extended powers and privileges to members, Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday ordered a review of its provisions following media outcry. It was reported yesterday that the KP government had recently approved the enactment of the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, which was passed on April 30 and signed by the governor on May 6. The law expands provincial assembly members’ powers and immunities, including the issuance of lifetime official passports to them and their spouses, blanket immunity from preventive detention, and entitlement to licences for up to eight non-prohibited-bore weapons. The law has faced severe criticism from media persons across Pakistan and the public in the province. “I hope that the amendments made to the Act will be reviewed. Any future steps will be taken in the public interest,” the chief minister said in a statement issued by his office. While chairing a cabinet meeting, CM Afridi said that as the amendments made to the law were being criticised, provisions concerning media persons should be reconsidered. He said that PTI founder Imran Khan had always promoted freedom of expression and wanted journalists to openly criticise wherever they deemed necessary. However, he added that he and his government had also faced criticism and that some “black channels” were running misleading propaganda against the government. “In other provinces, journalists criticising the government are subjected to disappearances, violence and harassment,” he said, adding that the KP government had not taken any illegal action against anyone and that legal action was taken only if someone spread false propaganda. “The speaker has been asked to meet parliamentary leaders and review the concerns of the general public and media persons,” he said. The chief minister also claimed that the KP Assembly was the only one established through a public mandate. Meanwhile, during a joint press conference, lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches said confusion had arisen despite the fact that clauses in the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, were similar to those in an earlier law passed in 1988, including provisions regarding the issuance of blue passports to members of provincial assemblies. The new act repealed the 1988 law on the same subject. Information Minister Shafi Jan claimed the draft approved by the cabinet did not include provisions for issuing blue passports to lawmakers and that the amendment was introduced by the opposition. He also said that the privileges approved by the KP Assembly for lawmakers were fewer compared to those approved by the Sindh and Punjab assemblies. “Around 57,000 blue passports have been issued by the federal government,” he claimed, adding that the federal government should disclose the identities of the blue passport holders. He further stated that lawmakers were entitled to four arms licences and that the additional four were approved in view of the law and order situation in the province. “The provincial government will hold a sitting with journalist bodies,” he said. However, the minister claimed that press laws in Sindh and Punjab were “harsher” than those in KP. He said the KP government took criticism positively and urged journalists to discuss the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act as well. PPP lawmaker Ahmad Karim Kundi said that penalties for media persons for spreading misinformation were part of the law enacted in 1988. He, however, added that no one had been penalised since 1988 and that the penalties could be reduced. Awami National Party’s Arbab Usman said that a province which had offered greater sacrifices should be given more perks. “Unfortunately, some journalists misused their rights. A blue passport is not a big deal, and if others have it, why not us? What does it have to do with the people?” he questioned. PTI-Parliamentarians’ Arbab Waseem said that lawmakers were public representatives and were answerable to the people. However, he emphasised that lawmakers from other provincial assemblies should also be considered, as they also enjoyed the same facilities. PML-N’s Sobia Shahid said that she was a member of the committee and a signatory to the act, adding that laws of all other provinces were discussed during the meeting and some clauses were incorporated into the KP Act.