PM’s KP information aide criticizes bill, says PTI promised equality but gives benefits to legislators
Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry speaks to reporters outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on October 9, 2025. SCREENGRAB
Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday accused the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of promoting the very “VIP culture” it once vowed to abolish, describing newly approved privileges for provincial lawmakers as a form of “political bribery.”
More than two months after the Assembly quietly passed a package of laws that expanded lawmakers’ pay, allowances and legislative privileges, the legislation has come under renewed public scrutiny after excerpts of the acts resurfaced on social media, sparking criticism of improved benefits, official passport rights and provisions that re-privileged assemblies.
The controversy centers on two of the three laws passed on April 30, the KP Province (Salaries and Allowances of Members) Act and the KP Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act, 2026. Although the legislation received the governor’s assent in early May, it had largely begun to escape public attention by the time the screenshot leaked. this week revives debate about the extent of the benefits to lawmakers and the consequences of some of the new provisions.
speaks to PTV NewsChaudhry said the party, which had promised to remove elite privileges, had instead passed legislation that gave unprecedented benefits to its own members.
“They have one face for the public and another for themselves. They tell people one thing but do something completely different,” he said.
He said that successive governments and assemblies in Pakistan had introduced various benefits for legislators, but he claimed that no previous legislature had approved a package of privileges comparable to those recently passed by the KP Assembly.
Chaudhry recalled that the party had once promised modest governance, with leaders claiming they would travel by bicycle and dismantle the VIP culture. Instead, he argued that its leadership had embraced official privilege while giving lawmakers new benefits.
He said the legislation gave assembly members exemptions from tolls, free accommodation at public rest stops, lifetime official (blue) passports for lawmakers and their immediate families and firearms licenses without fees, among other benefits.
However, the minister maintained that provincial legislation was not binding on the federal government, particularly in matters such as the issuance of official passports and prohibited firearms licences, which fall under federal jurisdiction.
Chaudhry said that following the directives of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Interior, the federal government had reduced the number of official (blue) passports issued by almost half over the past two years.
“Such passports are now reserved exclusively for people traveling on official government duty. No additional blue passports will be issued because of this provincial legislation or to render political favors,” he added.
On the issue of gun licenses, Chaudhry said that the federal government had reduced the issuance of gun licenses with banned boron by 95 percent compared to previous administrations. He added that such permits were now issued only in exceptional cases after strict checks and primarily to those entitled under the law.
He further claimed that licenses for non-banned firearms had also been reduced by 60 to 65%, adding that the government intended to further tighten the policy.
The minister claimed the provincial legislation amounted to “political bribery”, claiming the ruling party in KP was rewarding its own lawmakers despite earlier promises to end preferential treatment of politicians.
He questioned whether ordinary citizens received benefits such as free accommodation in public rest areas, free firearms licences, special vehicle number plates, tinted vehicle windows, government security or official passports.
Chaudhry also referred to an earlier incident involving a PTI lawmaker, claiming that the son of a National Assembly member had misused an official passport by traveling to Europe and later surrendering it while seeking political asylum, an episode he said had damaged Pakistan’s international image.
Highlighting federal reforms, the minister said the government had strengthened passport security features, improved the passport issuing process, curbed fraudulent documentation and significantly reduced the number of official and diplomatic passports issued to ineligible individuals.
He claimed that these measures had contributed to an improvement in Pakistan’s passport ranking over the past two-and-a-half years and had helped facilitate visa-free arrangements for holders of official and diplomatic passports with several countries.
The minister reiterated that the federal government would not implement any provincial measures regarding official passports, prohibited weapons licenses or other privileges it deemed unjustified.
He concluded by calling the KP Assembly’s legislation “ridiculous” and said it exposed the political contradiction of a party that came to power promising to end VIP culture but had instead, in his words, created “a new example of VIP culture through legislation.”
Prime Minister’s Information Coordinator for KP Ikhtiar Wali Khan also criticized the laws, saying that the PTI, which had promised to eliminate elitism and establish equal justice, instead introduced legislation that would create special privileges for lawmakers.
Addressing a press conference, Khan said the legislation gave sweeping powers and lifelong privileges to members of the provincial assembly, ministers and advisers.
He said the bill granted lifetime blue passports to provincial lawmakers and their spouses, gave members immunity from court appearances and protected them from arrest, adding that members of the KP assembly would be allowed to hold licenses for up to eight Kalashnikov rifles, compared to two licenses allowed for members of the NA.
Khan further added that no case could be registered against a provincial legislator without the approval of the Speaker of the KP Assembly, adding that such provisions were against democratic accountability and the rule of law.
He also criticized clauses that would limit parliamentary media coverage, adding that only journalists approved by the provincial government or the speaker would be allowed to cover assembly proceedings.
“Freedom of the press is being curtailed through this legislation,” he said, demanding an immediate withdrawal of the bill.
Khan said the provincial government prioritized privileges of elected representatives instead of addressing key public issues including education, healthcare, infrastructure development and law and order.
Referring to the economic situation in KP, he added that several public universities were facing serious financial difficulties and urged the provincial government to allocate more resources to education, hospitals and development projects.
He also called on federal accountability institutions, including the Federal Investigation Agency, to investigate financial irregularities and corruption cases in the province.
On this occasion, MNA Shaista Khan expressed concern over restrictions on media freedom through this legislation. “I am deeply saddened that the freedom of the press is being taken away,” she said.
Shaista criticized the provincial government’s health policies, saying the health card program had created serious administrative problems and put doctors in difficult situations.
Read more: Laws giving perks to KP lawmakers spark backlash
She said patients from Haripur were routinely referred to hospitals in Abbottabad due to inadequate health facilities and urged the provincial government not to compromise public health and lives.
Shaista urged the provincial government to focus on improving education, health care and public welfare instead of introducing legislation that would give special privileges to elected officials.
Criticism has primarily focused on the KP Province (Salaries and Allowances of Members) Act and the KP Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act, which expand a range of benefits available to legislators while also expanding certain legislative privileges.
Among the provisions drawing criticism are enhanced allowances and benefits for lawmakers, including access to public rest areas, VIP airport lounges, toll exemption, security arrangements and the right to an official passport for members, with the same facility extended to their spouses for life, subject to applicable federal law.
Separately, the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of the KP Assembly (Amendment Act) has also come under scrutiny over provisions relating to legislative privileges. One of its most controversial clauses prescribes imprisonment of up to six months, a fine or both, for publishing proceedings or evidence which the assembly has ordered to be kept confidential. The provision has raised concerns online about its potential implications for media reporting and transparency.
