Key Takeaways
- The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government decided to withdraw controversial clauses from a recently enacted law.
- Chief Minister Sohail Afridi ordered the review following widespread public backlash.
- KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi called for uniform laws governing legislators' privileges across Pakistan.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to withdraw controversial clauses from a recently enacted law that expanded lawmakers’ powers and privileges, following widespread public 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 various quarters, 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 stated: '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.'
The minister added that cabinet members met with the chief minister earlier in the day, and KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati also joined the meeting via video link. Following the chief minister’s directives and in consultation with the assembly speaker, it was decided to withdraw all controversial clauses of the act.
Shafi Jan further stated: '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 The law under discussion had repealed various provisions of the 1988 law on the same subject.
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.
Kundi stated: '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.' The governor further noted that a harmonised national framework was the only way to ensure ‘fairness, accountability and public confidence’.
In a separate post, Kundi shared his observations on the legislation. He said: 'I had made it clear that no law should become a means of expanding privileges when the people of Pakistan, especially those in KP, are being asked to endure austerity and economic hardship.' The governor added that he had called for the law to be implemented in the true spirit of fiscal discipline and the prudent use of public resources.
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.
Shafi Jan, KP Information Minister
'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.'
Faisal Karim Kundi, KP Governor
