PESHAWAR: A proposed law aimed at expanding the powers, privileges and legal protections of members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has sparked a debate in political and public circles.
The draft, titled the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Powers, Immunities and Privileges Act, 2026, proposes a range of new facilities and legal safeguards for MPAs, including up to eight arms licences, exemption from all toll taxes, Justice of the Peace powers, enhanced security, free accommodation at government rest houses and a restriction on arresting an MPA without the speaker’s prior approval.
Under the proposed legislation, members would be granted legal protections to ensure their participation in assembly sessions and committee meetings. In certain circumstances, an arrested lawmaker could also be released to attend assembly proceedings.
According to the draft, no MPA could be taken into custody or placed under administrative detention without the prior approval of the Speaker.
The speaker would also have the authority to seek reports from relevant authorities and order inquiries into such matters.
The bill proposes that every MPA be provided at least B-category security, with A-category security available in cases of heightened threat. It also recommends official passports and assembly identity cards for lawmakers and their spouses, along with access to VIP airport lounges across the country.
The draft retains the provision of four non-prohibited bore arms licences already available under the existing law and clarifies that members may obtain four additional licences, subject to the prescribed fee, rules and legal requirements applicable to ordinary citizens.
Other proposed benefits include exemption from toll taxes at all toll plazas, free accommodation at circuit houses, rest houses and dak bungalows, and authority to inspect government offices, hospitals, prisons, educational institutions and development projects.
The proposed legislation seeks to grant MPAs the powers of a Justice of the Peace, allow them to use special assembly number plates on their vehicles and permit the use of tinted windows.
The bill calls for strengthening the powers of the provincial assembly and its standing committees.
Committees would be authorised to summon individuals, call for official records and recommend legal action in cases of non-cooperation.
Media-related provisions propose a regulatory framework governing the publication of assembly proceedings, committee reports and other sensitive matters.
The draft recommends granting the speaker authority to regulate the entry of media personnel into the assembly premises in certain circumstances.
Proponents believed that some provisions were intended to strengthen parliamentary autonomy, while critics argued that several proposals require constitutional and legal scrutiny.
The practical and legal implications will become clear only after the bill is enacted.
Meanwhile, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government rejected reports claiming that provincial lawmakers would be issued blue passports, describing such reports as baseless and misleading.
Provincial Information Minister Shafiullah Jan said the issuance of blue passports falls under the constitutional and legal jurisdiction of the federal government, and no such decision has been made by the provincial government or the assembly.
In a clarification, the KP Assembly Secretariat said provincial lawmakers already enjoyed the facility of official passports under existing arrangements.
It added that the recent recommendation was forwarded to the federal government after the agenda of the Speakers’ Conference and the unanimous recommendations of all provincial assemblies to bring passport-related rules in line with those applicable to members of the National Assembly and Senate.
The secretariat said that reports about additional arms licences were misleading.
It said the provision of four arms licences had existed under the 1988 law, while any additional licences would be obtained under the same legal framework, subject to applicable fees and regulations, considering the province’s security situation.
The secretariat said the provision of free accommodation at government rest houses, as well as lawmakers’ authority to visit government institutions, hospitals, prisons and development projects, already existed under the 1988 law.
It stated that provisions relating to the use and publication of official and parliamentary records were not new and are designed solely to ensure the responsible use and protection of official documents.
The secretariat stressed that these clauses did not impose any new restrictions on journalists or media organisations.
The secretariat maintained that the speaker’s powers regarding assembly discipline, proceedings and the dignity of the House were part of the existing 1988 law and were exercised in accordance with constitutional and legal requirements.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly insisted that all proposed measures were consistent with the Constitution, the law and democratic norms.
