PESHAWAR: In a leaked audio message, former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has made scathing criticism of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government performance and the recent legislation to increase the provincial lawmakers’ privileges.

The audio hit the social media late on Wednesday amid uproar over the enactment of a new law to expand the MPAs’ immunities and privileges.

On Wednesday, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had ordered a review of the controversial legislation after it attracted widespread criticism.

In the over six-minute audio, which was apparently first shared in the ruling PTI’s WhatsApp group, Mr Gandapur said that names of the lawmakers who had demanded an increase in their perks should be made public.

Objects to new legislation for raising MPAs’ privileges

“Those demanding arms licences, Blue Passports and other perks should be known to people,” he said.

The former chief minister also pointed out that during the budget session of the KP Assembly, he came to know about the proposed increase in the MPAs’ salaries.

“I told them not to increase the salaries of MPAs as it will attract heavy criticism from the party,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said that he knew the lawmakers’ salaries were “insignificant” and as the chief minister, he took up the issue with the party’s founder, Imran Khan, but he was advised against giving any such raise.

He said that he was highlighting the issue in the party’s groups but would speak about it in public afterward.

“We cannot sacrifice our party, leader and ideology for small gains. I am no longer part of it,” he said.

The former chief minister also pointed out the issue of drone attacks, military operations and issues in development projects.

He said that the province was reporting more and more drone attacks but the provincial government was unable to control them.

“If we are silent over drone strikes, it doesn’t mean they are not happening,” he said.

Mr Gandapur said that drone attacks were causing loss of public lives, so the provincial government couldn’t escape responsibility.

He said that military operations were being carried out in the province, with two to three more on the cards.

“These operations are being conducted with the funding of the KP government, so it should help out those displaced due to military actions,” he said.

The former chief minister said that at times, party MPAs and ministers had to protest the “bad quality” of development projects in the province. He wondered who was responsible for that issue.

Mr Gandapur said that transfers and postings of government officials also led to protests from the same department’s employees.

He also questioned the diversion of development funds from one project having liabilities to those without any liabilities and ordered advance payments to contractors.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2026