Talal Chaudhry slams PTI for law granting benefits to KP lawmakers

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Wednesday accused the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of promoting the “VIP culture” they once vowed to abolish, calling the recently approved privileges for provincial lawmakers a form of “political corruption”.

More than two months after the Assembly quietly passed a package of laws increasing lawmakers’ salaries, allowances and legislative privileges, the legislation has come under renewed public scrutiny after excerpts of the laws resurfaced on social media, sparking criticism over improved benefits, official passport rights and assembly privileges provisions.

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 and largely escaped public attention at the time, screenshots of the enacted laws began circulating online this week, reigniting debate over the scope of benefits granted to lawmakers and the implications of some of the new provisions.

Talk to PTV NewsChaudhry said the party that promised to eliminate elite privileges had instead passed legislation granting 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 successive governments and assemblies of Pakistan had introduced various benefits for legislators, but he asserted that no previous legislature had approved a set of privileges comparable to those recently passed by the KP Assembly.

Chaudhry recalled that the party had once promised modest governance, with leaders saying they would travel on bicycles and dismantle VIP culture. Instead, he claimed, its leaders adopted official privileges while granting new perks to lawmakers.

He said the legislation granted Assembly members exemptions from toll taxes, free accommodation in government rest homes, official (blue) passports for life for lawmakers and their immediate families, and no-fee firearms licenses, among other benefits.

The minister, however, maintained that provincial legislation was not enforceable for the federal government, particularly in terms of issuing official passports and prohibited firearms permits, which fall under federal jurisdiction.

Chaudhry said the federal government, under the directives of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Interior, had reduced the number of official (blue) passports issued by almost half in the last two years.

“Such passports are now reserved strictly for people traveling on official government business. No additional blue passports will be issued simply because of this provincial legislation or to grant political favors,” he added.

Addressing the issue of firearms permits, Chaudhry said the federal government had reduced the issuance of prohibited barrel weapons permits by 95 percent compared to previous administrations. He added that such licenses were now only issued in exceptional cases, after strict scrutiny and mainly to those entitled to them under the law.

He further claimed that permits for non-banned firearms have also been reduced by 60-65%, adding that the government intends to tighten the policy further.

The minister argued that the provincial legislation amounted to “political corruption”, alleging that KP’s ruling party was rewarding its own lawmakers despite earlier promises to end preferential treatment for politicians.

He questioned whether ordinary citizens received benefits such as free accommodation in government nursing homes, free gun licenses, special license plates, tinted windows, state-provided security or official passports.

Chaudhry also brought up an earlier incident involving a PTI lawmaker, alleging that the son of a National Assembly member misused an official passport while traveling to Europe and later surrendered it while seeking political asylum, an episode he said damaged Pakistan’s international image.

Highlighting federal reforms, the minister said the government had strengthened passport security features, improved the passport issuance process, reduced fraudulent documents and significantly reduced the number of official and diplomatic passports issued to ineligible persons.

He claimed that these measures had contributed to an improvement in Pakistan’s passport ranking over the last two and a half years and helped facilitate visa waiver for official and diplomatic passport holders with several countries.

The minister reiterated that the federal government would not apply any provincial measures relating to official passports, prohibited weapons permits or other privileges that it deems unjustified.

He concluded by calling the KP Assembly’s legislation “ridiculous”, saying it exposed the political contradiction of a party that came to power promising to end VIP culture but which, in his words, had instead created “a new example of VIP culture through legislation”.

Prime Minister’s Information Coordinator for KP Ikhtiar Wali Khan also criticized the laws, saying the PTI, which had promised to eliminate elitism and establish equal justice, was instead introducing legislation that would create special privileges for lawmakers.

Addressing a press conference, Khan said the legislation granted sweeping powers and lifetime privileges to members of the provincial assembly, ministers and councilors.

He said the bill granted lifetime blue passports to provincial lawmakers and their spouses, granted members exemption from court appearance and protected them from arrest, adding that KP Assembly members would be allowed to possess licenses for up to eight Kalashnikov rifles, compared to two licenses allowed for NA members.

Khan further added that no case could be registered against any provincial lawmaker without the approval of the KP Assembly Speaker, adding that such provisions were against democratic accountability and the rule of law.

He also criticized clauses that would restrict parliamentary coverage by the media, adding that only journalists approved by the provincial government or the president would be allowed to cover the assembly proceedings.

“Freedom of the press is restricted by this legislation,” he said, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the bill.

Khan said the provincial government was prioritizing the privileges of elected representatives instead of addressing key public issues, including education, health care, infrastructure development and law and order.

Referring to the financial situation of KP, he added that several public universities were facing serious financial difficulties and called on the provincial government to allocate more resources to education, hospitals and development projects.

He also urged responsible federal institutions, including the Federal Investigation Agency, to investigate financial irregularities and corruption cases in the province.

Speaking on the occasion, MP Shaista Khan expressed concern over the restrictions imposed on media freedom by this legislation. “I am deeply saddened that press freedom is being suppressed,” she said.

Criticizing the provincial government’s health policies, Shaista said the health card program had created serious administrative problems and placed doctors in difficult situations.

Learn more: Laws granting benefits to KP lawmakers draw backlash

She said patients from Haripur were regularly referred to hospitals in Abbottabad due to inadequacy of health facilities and urged the provincial government not to compromise public health and human lives.

Shaista urged the provincial government to focus on improving education, health care and public welfare instead of introducing legislation that would grant special privileges to elected representatives.

Criticism has focused primarily on the KP Province (Members’ Salaries and Allowances) Act and the KP Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act, which expand the range of benefits available to lawmakers while also extending certain legislative privileges.

Among the provisions criticized are enhanced allowances and benefits for lawmakers, including access to government rest homes, airport VIP lounges, exemption from toll taxes, security provisions and the right to an official passport for members, with the same facility extended to their spouses for life, subject to applicable federal law.

Besides, the KP Assembly Powers, Privileges and Immunities (Amendment) Act has also come under scrutiny with regard to the provisions relating to legislative privilege. One of its most debated clauses provides for imprisonment of up to six months, a fine, or both, for publishing proceedings or evidence that the Assembly has ordered kept confidential. The provision has fueled concerns online about its potential implications for media coverage and transparency.