K-P governor calls for uniform law on lawmakers’ privileges across Pakistan

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government on Friday announced that it would withdraw all controversial clauses from recently enacted legislation expanding lawmakers’ powers and privileges following widespread backlash.

The announcement comes amid renewed controversy over two laws passed by the K-P Assembly on April 30 — the K-P Province (Salaries and Allowances of Members) Act and the K-P Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act, 2026 — which have drawn criticism from the public and political circles.

Although Governor Faisal Karim Kundi assented to the legislation in early May and it initially attracted little public attention, screenshots of the enacted laws began circulating online in July, reigniting debate over the scope of the benefits granted to legislators and the implications of several new provisions.

In a video message posted on X, K-P Information Minister Shafi Jan said Chief Minister Suhail Afridi had chaired a meeting of the provincial cabinet earlier in the day, while Provincial Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati joined via video link.

He said the meeting discussed what it described as propaganda surrounding the Members of the Assembly Privileges Act, 2026, in recent days.

“On the instructions of Chief Minister Suhail Afridi and in consultation with the Speaker of the Provincial Assembly, it was decided to withdraw all controversial clauses of the Privileges Act,” he said.

The minister said all controversial provisions would be restored and corrected in accordance with the Members of the Assembly Privileges Act, 1988.

Read: K-P CM orders review of ‘privileges’ bill

He added that the provincial assembly would meet on Monday, with all parliamentary leaders invited to attend, where the remaining proceedings on the matter would be carried out.

“There is a Form 45 government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which has been established from the public mandate. At present, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has the only assembly in Pakistan that has been formed through the people’s vote and derives its strength from the people,” he said.

He said no decision would be taken that did not reflect the aspirations of the public, adding that the concerns of journalists, voters and the wider public would be heard and that all controversial clauses would be restored and corrected in accordance with the 1988 Act.

K-P governor calls for uniform law across Pakistan

Earlier, K-P Governor Kundi urged National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani to convene a meeting of the speakers of all four provincial assemblies to develop a “single, harmonised” law governing lawmakers’ salaries, privileges and entitlements across Pakistan.

In a post on X, the governor urged the NA speaker and Senate chairman “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.”

He stressed that “no province should legislate extraordinary privileges for itself” while asking the public to embrace austerity. “Salaries, security, official passports, allowances and every other entitlement should be uniform across the federation, ensuring one standard for all,” Kundi wrote.

In an apparent attempt to address public criticism, the governor also shared an undated but signed letter issued by the Governor’s Secretariat in Peshawar, in which he had “strongly recommended” that the K-P 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 — while enforcing the law.

According to Kundi, the recommendation was intended to ensure fiscal discipline despite his assent to the legislation, aligning provincial legislative practices with the federal government’s economic emergency framework introduced in response to the US-Iran war and broader global instability.

The letter concluded by recommending that the Finance Committee reconsider the implementation framework to ensure these principles are carried out in their true letter and spirit.

Also Read: ‘Political bribery’: Talal Chaudhry slams PTI over law granting perks to lawmakers in K-P

Kundi also maintained that his reservations about the K-P Privileges Bill had been on record since May. “My observations on the K-P Privileges Bill have been on record since May 2026, when it was presented to me for assent,” he wrote on X.

He said he had made it clear that “no law should become a means of expanding privileges when the people of Pakistan, especially the people of K-P, were 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.

“A government that speaks of financial constraints cannot, in the same breath, legislate greater privileges for those in power,” he said. “Public money belongs to the people, not to the perks of those who govern them.”

Separately on Friday, K-P Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati announced that the provincial assembly would meet on July 13 to discuss the proposed Members’ Powers, Privileges and Benefits Bill.

According to a statement issued to the media, the decision to revisit the legislation followed consultations between the speaker and chief minister.

Swati said public interest, transparency and democratic values remained the government’s foremost priorities, adding that the views of civil society, journalists and other stakeholders would be duly considered during the legislative process.

He added that the legislature remained committed to ensuring that its laws are aligned with public expectations and constitutional requirements.

The outcry and response to the new law

Public criticism has primarily focused on the K-P Province (Salaries and Allowances of Members) Act and the K-P Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act, which expand the range of benefits available to lawmakers and extend certain legislative privileges.

Among the provisions drawing criticism are enhanced allowances and benefits for lawmakers, including access to government rest houses, airport VIP lounges, exemption from toll tax, security arrangements, and entitlement to an official passport for members, with the same facility extended to their spouses for life, subject to applicable federal law.

Separately, the K-P Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act has also come under scrutiny over provisions relating to legislative privilege. One of its most debated clauses prescribes imprisonment of up to six months, a fine, or both, for publishing proceedings or evidence that the Assembly has directed to be kept confidential. The provision has fuelled concerns over its potential implications for media reporting and transparency.

On July 8, K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi ordered a review of the controversial amendments to the K-P Assembly Members’ Powers, Privileges and Benefits Act, 2026, following widespread public and media criticism and directed that all contentious provisions be reconsidered in consultation with parliamentary leaders.

Addressing a meeting of the provincial cabinet, CM Afridi said the draft of the Parliamentarians Privileges Bill, which had been approved by the cabinet, was amended after being sent to the provincial assembly. He noted that the amendments had come under sustained criticism in the media over the past two to three days.

The chief minister said he met K-P Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and directed him to convene a meeting of all parliamentary leaders represented in the provincial assembly. “The meeting should thoroughly review all provisions that have drawn objections from the people of the K-P and the journalist community and make necessary revisions.”