PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Friday decided to withdraw the “controversial” provisions of the law, recently enacted to increase the provincial lawmakers’ privileges, over widespread criticism.

In April this year, the provincial assembly passed the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026. The legislation which was kept under wraps when it came to surface earlier this week, led to a social media maelstrom over granting privileges, including blue passports to members and their spouses, arms licenses, blanket immunity from preventive detention and seeking speaker’s permission before arresting members on criminal charges. On Wednesday, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi ordered a review of the legislation.

In a video message, KP Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan said that on the directives of Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, the provincial government had decided to withdraw all controversial provisions incorporated in the Members of Provincial Assembly (Privileges) Act.

He said that the cabinet members met here with CM Afridi in the chair, while Speaker of the provincial assembly Babar Saleem Swati also joined the meeting via video link.

Minister says parliamentary leaders will be taken into confidence about move in meeting on Monday

The minister said that following the chief minister’s directions and consultation with the speaker of the provincial assembly, it was decided to withdraw all “objectionable” clauses of the new law.

He added that all controversial clauses would be “restored and corrected in accordance with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Powers, Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1988”.

Mr Jan also said that a meeting would be held on Monday for taking parliamentary leaders into confidence on the matter.

He said that the KP government was formed on the basis of the people’s genuine mandate and therefore, it would not take any decision contrary to people’s aspirations.

“The KP government will address the concerns of both the journalist community and the general public,” he said.

Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, in a post on the social media platform X, urged 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.

“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. A harmonised national framework is the only way to ensure fairness, accountability and public confidence,” Mr Kundi noted.

In a separate post, the governor, who had assented to the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, on May 6, shared his observation on the controversial legislation.

He said that he had clearly stated that no law should become a means of expanding privileges when the people, especially those of KP, were being asked to endure austerity and economic hardship.

The governor said that he had called for the law to be implemented in the true spirit of fiscal discipline and prudent use of public resources.

“A government that speaks of financial constraints cannot, in the same breath, legislate greater privileges for those in power. My position was clear then, and it remains unchanged today: public money belongs to the people, not to the perks of those who govern them,” he said.

“In exercise of my constitutional authority, I hereby give my assent to the bill, recognising it constitutionally valid,” Mr Kundi observed in his assent note on the legislation.

“However, I strongly recommended the provincial assembly finance committee implement the prime minister’s 14 point austerity measure, including expenditure cuts, fuel rationing and elimination of unnecessary privileges-while executing the law. This ensures fiscal discipline is maintained despite assent, aligning provincial legislative practices with the federal government’s economic emergency framework amid the US-Iran war and global instability. The finance committee may reconsider it to operationalise these principles in true letter and spirit,” he noted.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2026