Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday directed a review of amendments to the KP Assembly Members’ Powers, Privileges and Benefits Act, 2026, following public and media criticism concerning the benefits sought by legislators.
Addressing a meeting of the provincial cabinet, he claimed the draft of the Parliamentarians Privileges Bill approved by the cabinet was later amended in the provincial assembly. The amendments, he noted, had triggered severe criticism by media and the general public.
Afridi said he had met KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and directed him to convene a meeting of all parliamentary leaders to thoroughly review all objectionable amendments and make necessary revisions. He hoped all the contentious clauses would be reconsidered, adding they should be aligned with public interest and public opinion.
Despite the growing criticism, however, the Act has been defended by members of both treasury and opposition benches. Addressing a joint press conference alongside senior opposition lawmakers, Information Minister Shafi Jan has claimed “unnecessary confusion” over the legislation approved by the legislature.
Maintaining there was “no basis” for the criticism, he claimed several of the issues under criticism were not even part of the Act. He said the legislation was merely amending the 1988 act, adding the cabinet had not approved any provisions not previously contained in the 1988 legislation. He claimed the cabinet had not approved the provision seeking lifetime blue passports for members of the provincial assembly or their family members, adding the opposition had proposed this.
Defending the legislation, PPP parliamentary leader Ahmad Karim Kundi said the provincial assembly had the constitutional prerogative for lawmaking. ANP parliamentary leader Arbab Usman similarly said elected representatives should be provided with better facilities so they could perform their duties effectively. PMLN MPA Sobia Shahid said all provincial laws relating to lawmakers’ privileges had been examined before drafting the Act.