PESHAWAR — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati has formally sought records of police actions taken against members of the provincial assembly, ministers and other parliamentary officials, in a move that underscores growing friction between the legislature and law enforcement authorities.
The Provincial Assembly Secretariat has dispatched a letter to the Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, requesting complete details of all incidents involving assembly members, ministers, advisors, special assistants and parliamentary secretaries over the past two weeks.
Scope of the Requested Records
According to the letter, the IG has been directed to furnish records covering a wide range of police actions, including:
- Arrests and detentions of the relevant individuals
- Raids conducted on their residences
- Attacks and searches of their properties
- Relevant reports and First Information Reports (FIRs) filed at police stations
- Records of individuals who reported incidents to the police
Legal Basis Cited
The Assembly Secretariat has directed that the complete record be provided immediately so that it can be presented before the Speaker. The letter states that the information has been sought under Articles 66, 67 and 127 of the Constitution of Pakistan.
The correspondence also references the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Rules and Procedures 2025 and the Provincial Assembly Powers, Privileges and Privileges Act 2026, suggesting that the Speaker intends to invoke parliamentary privilege protections in reviewing the police actions.
Political Implications
The demand for comprehensive police records signals a potential confrontation over the treatment of elected representatives and parliamentary officials. Articles 66 and 67 of the Constitution deal with the powers, privileges and immunities of Parliament and its members, while Article 127 extends those provisions to provincial assemblies.
It remains unclear what specific incidents prompted the Speaker’s request, but the two-week timeframe suggests a series of recent police operations targeting or involving provincial legislators and their staff. The IG’s office has yet to respond publicly to the directive.
