PESHAWAR: Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Babar Saleem Swati on Wednesday expressed concern over the “withdrawal” of official security detail from lawmakers in the province.
In a letter to the provincial chief secretary and police chief, the speaker said that the provision of security to an MPA was not merely an administrative arrangement but a statutory entitlement guaranteed under sub-section 1 of Section 12 of the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026.
The letter read that a member shall, ordinarily, be entitled to Category-B Security, as may be notified by the home and tribal affairs department of government, for the duration of his tenure as a member of the Assembly.
“The above statutory provision makes it clear that a member is entitled to Category-B Security for the duration of his tenure as a member of the assembly. The unilateral withdrawal or detachment of such security, contrary to the said statutory entitlement, amounts to non-compliance with an express provision of law,” it read.
The speaker pointed out that contravention of Section 12 constituted a breach of privilege under Section 31 of the Act, read with Section 32 and the First Schedule thereto.
“In view of the foregoing, the honourable speaker has been pleased to direct that the quarter concerned be instructed forthwith to refrain from detaching, withdrawing or discontinuing the security personnel provided to honorable MPA in terms of Section 12 of the ibid Act,” it said.
A KP minister confirmed the development, saying his official security detail has been withdrawn.
“They have withdrawn [the security] and this is a violation of the Constitution, but I can understand their [police’s] problem because this is being done by someone else, not by police,” he told Dawn.
When contacted, DIG (Security) Sajjad Khan said that a communique was issued mistakenly in Hazara Division, creating confusion.
He said no orders were issued for the withdrawal of security from MPAs.
Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026
