PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly was told on Wednesday that some female MPAs had been carrying pistols during the sessions of the assembly.

Speaking on a point of order, MPA Sardar Babak claimed that he and other MPAs had found envelops on their desks sent by the police’s special branch, disclosing that some female MPAs had been carrying pistols in their purses.

The ANP parliamentary leader raised the issue citing a letter of the assembly’s additional secretary advising the women lawmakers to avoid bringing arms with them during the session. The letter read out by Mr Babak was in the context of the official letter written by the additional IGP to the assembly secretariat regarding the carrying of arms by the women MPAs in their purses.

Lady constables deputed for security at the assembly building avoided to check the women lawmakers’ purses and body due to high prestige and dignity of these MPAs, the additional IGP’s letter stated.

The letter of assembly secretariat on the issue has been addressed to the parliamentary leader of the parties,including PTI, JUI-F, QWP, ANP, PPP and PML-N. — Bureau Report