Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati has written a second letter to the provincial police chief, demanding information about cabinet members and lawmakers who have been detained or arrested, following reports of arrests ahead of a postponed protest. The letter cites constitutional provisions and rules protecting legislators from arrest without prior approval from the speaker unless it's in the public interest. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has criticized this requirement, sparking debate over whether such protections are necessary for elected officials.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-27,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati has sought details from police of provincial cabinet members and lawmakers who have been “detained or arrested”, it emerged on Sunday.
asserted
it → seek → Sunday
The development comes after reports of the detention of several PTI members and supporters, including party founder’s sisters and provincial ministers, ahead of a protest that has now been postponed to Oct 4.
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that → come → Oct
Swati has already asked the provincial inspector general of police, Zulfiqar Hameed, to seek his approval before arresting any sitting lawmaker.
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Swati → ask → lawmaker
A second letter from Sept 25, which Swati shared on his X account on Sunday, cited Articles 66 and 67 read with Article 127 of the Constitution, the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Procedure and Conduct of Business Rules, 2025, and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026.
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Swati → share → Rules
The letter from the KP Assembly secretariat to the provincial police chief stated that Swati, being the custodian of the house, had directed the secretariat to obtain information regarding any member of the KP Assembly, minister, adviser, special assistant to the chief minister and parliamentary secretary, who had been arrested or detained or whose residence had been subjected to an “attack, search or similar action by any law enforcement agency”.
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residence → state → agency
The secretariat asked for a “complete report and FIRs of such incidents [which] occurred (including the enclosed list) during the last two weeks” to be submitted to it, along with the record of those who have filed a complaint of such incidents at police stations.
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who → ask → stations
The first letter to the police chief stated: “When a member has to be arrested on a criminal charge or for a criminal offence or has to be detained under an executive order, the magistrate or the executive authority, as the case may be, shall seek prior permission of the speaker, indicating the reasons for the arrest or detention of the member in the appropriate form set out in the Second Schedule.”
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case → state → Schedule
The letter also pointed out that where the speaker deemed it necessary in the public interest, he could ask the relevant police officer to submit the police report, as the case might be, to ascertain the facts of the matter.
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case → point → matter
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken exception to the move and questioned the speaker’s consent requirement.
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Naqvi → take → requirement
He wondered in a post on X whether the police would wait for the assembly speaker’s permission for arrest even if the lawmaker killed someone.
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lawmaker → wonder → someone
The interior minister mockingly described it as an “extraordinary version of equality before the law”.
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minister → describe → law
In response to Naqvi, Speaker Swati posted on X that his initiative was not something new, and that the privileges the interior minister criticised were enjoyed by himself and his colleagues.
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minister → post → himself
He noted that the privilege in question existed to prevent the executive from silencing elected representatives through police and to enable the assembly to function without fear.
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assembly → note → fear
The speaker said that the law did not place an MPA above the law and that an accused member remained subject to investigation, prosecution and judicial process.
“The speaker’s role is only to ensure that no arrest is made with the intent of political revenge or disrupting the House,” he said.
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he → say → House
Swati wondered why no issues were raised when people were abducted, laws were passed in the dark and people were given immunity, but Naqvi had complaints about the laws passed jointly by the treasury and opposition lawmakers in KP.
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Naqvi → wonder → KP
“Today, we are witnessing a far more serious attack on democracy, without warrants, masked individuals are raiding homes of MNAs, MPAs and PTI leadership and abducting them in order to prevent peaceful protest.
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individuals → witness → protest
When bullets were fired and massacres took place on November 24, May 9 and May 25, it became clear that this is not democracy but a state run by a few individuals, where the Constitution has been reduced to mere paper,” he insisted.
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he → fire → paper
The exchange comes amid an already heated debate over the new KP Police Act, with the interior ministry arguing that the provincial legislation violates the constitutional framework and weakens the police command structure at a time when KP remains on the frontline of the fight against terrorism.
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KP → come → terrorism
The KP Police Act 2026 links the police chief’s operational, administrative and financial decisions to the approval of the provincial government or the chief minister for implementation.
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Act → link → implementation
During a cabinet meeting that approved the Police Act, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said that if his government was forcing the local bureaucracy, police, district commissioners or others to do anything wrong, then they should not obey those orders.
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they → approve → orders
The Aporia
