Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Monday said he had asked the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet to “withdraw amendments” made to the KP Ehtesab Commission Act after chairing a meeting to review the situation.

The commission was established through an Act of the KP Assembly in 2014 as an independent and autonomous body to combat corruption in the province. However, a recent amendment to the ordinance – promulgated on Feb 9 – makes approval of the five-member commission mandatory for arresting a suspect and reduces the maximum period of physical custody of a suspect from 45 to 15 days.

The ordinance further provides that no legislator will be arrested by the commission without prior intimation to the Senate’s chairman or the speaker of the national or provincial assembly, as the case may be. Similarly the chief secretary will have to be informed before the arrest of a civil servant.

The Ehtesab Commission’s chief, Hamid Khan, resigned in protest after the amendments were enacted, saying the move had rendered the post of director general redundant, made the accountability process controversial and questionable and negated the autonomy of the accountability watchdog.

Also read: KP accountability chief resigns in protest

The PTI chairman went on to say that “a comprehensive amendment bill ensuring and strengthening effective and independent accountability will now be presented before the KP Assembly.”

Khan said he will ensure the process of drafting the amendments is “expedited.”