Overview
- The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly Secretariat issued a formal letter citing Section 11 of the Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026 that requires the speaker’s prior permission before an MPA can be arrested or detained.
- The secretariat directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inspector general of police to follow the procedure and allow the speaker to request police reports or order an inquiry before a challan is submitted to court.
- Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi publicly criticised the arrangement on social media, saying it appears to undermine equality before the law and asking rhetorically whether police would wait for the speaker’s permission even in serious criminal cases.
- KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati defended the rule as a standard parliamentary privilege meant to protect legislators from political pressure while saying members remain subject to investigations and judicial process.
- Federal ministers have warned the revised police and privileges measures could weaken police command, affect morale and counterterrorism work, and they have signalled a likely Supreme Court challenge to resolve the intergovernmental dispute.