KP Governor Calls for Uniform Law on Legislators’ Privileges Across Pakistan

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Friday called on National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Speaker Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani to convene a meeting of the speakers of all four provincial assemblies to develop a “single, harmonized” law governing the privileges and rights of lawmakers across Pakistan.

The call comes amid renewed controversy over two laws passed by the KP Assembly on April 30 – the KP Provincial (Salaries and Allowances of Members) Act and the KP Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act, 2026 – which have drawn criticism from the public and political circles.

Although Kundi approved the legislation in early May and it initially attracted little public attention, screenshots of the enacted laws began circulating online in July, reigniting debate over the extent of the benefits to lawmakers and the implications of several new provisions.

In a message on X, the Governor urged the NA Speaker and Senate President to “immediately convene a meeting of the Speakers of all four provincial assemblies and agree on a single, harmonized bill regulating the pay, privileges and rights of legislators throughout Pakistan.”

He stressed that “no province should legislate extraordinary privileges for itself” while asking the public to embrace austerity. “Salary, security, official passes, allowances and all other entitlements should be uniform across the federation, ensuring one standard for all,” Kundi wrote.

In an apparent attempt to counter public criticism, the governor also shared an undated but signed letter issued by the governor’s secretariat in Peshawar in which he had “strongly recommended” that the KP Finance Committee implement the spirit of the prime minister’s 14-point austerity measures – including spending cuts, fuel rationing of unnecessary entitlements and elimination of unnecessary entitlements.

According to Kundi, the intent of the recommendation was to ensure fiscal discipline despite his assent to the legislation, and to align the province’s legislative practices with the federal government’s economic emergency framework enacted in response to the US-Iran war and broader global instability.

The letter concluded by recommending that the Finance Committee reconsider the implementation framework to ensure that these principles are carried out in their true letter and spirit.

Read also: ‘Political bribery’: Talal Chaudhry slams PTI over law giving perks to lawmakers in KP

Kundi also maintained that his reservations about the KP Privileges Bill had been on record since May. “My comments on the KP Privileges Bill have been on record since May 2026 when it was submitted to me for assent,” he wrote on X.

He said he had made it clear that “no law should become a means of extending privileges when the people of Pakistan, especially the people of KP, were asked to endure austerity and economic hardship.”

The governor added 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 talks about financial constraints cannot in the same breath legislate greater privileges for those in power,” he said. “Public money belongs to the people, not the benefits of those who manage it.”

Separately on Friday, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati announced that the provincial assembly would meet on July 13 to discuss the proposed bill on powers, privileges and benefits of members.

According to a statement issued to the media, the decision to revise the legislation followed consultations between the speaker and the minister.

Swati said public interest, transparency and democratic values ​​remained the government’s top priorities, adding that views of civil society, journalists and other stakeholders would be given due consideration during the legislative process.

He added that the legislature remains committed to ensuring that its laws conform to public expectations and constitutional requirements.

The framework and the response to the new law

Public criticism has focused primarily on the KP Provincial (Salaries and Allowances of Members) and KP Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act, which expands the range of benefits available to legislators and extends 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 about its potential implications for media reporting and transparency.

On 8 July, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi ordered a review of the controversial changes to the KP Assembly Members’ Powers, Privileges and Benefits, 2026, following widespread public and media criticism, and ordered that all contentious provisions be reconsidered in consultation with parliamentary leaders.

Addressing a meeting of the provincial cabinet, CM Afridi said the draft Parliamentarians’ Privileges Bill, which had been approved by the cabinet, was amended after being sent to the provincial assembly. He noted that the amendments had come under sustained criticism in the media over the past two to three days.

The chief minister said he met KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and asked him to call a meeting of all parliamentary leaders represented in the provincial assembly. “The meeting should thoroughly review all provisions that have drawn objections from the people of KP and the journalist community and make necessary revisions.”