Pakistan’s interior minister criticizes speaker approval requirement for lawmakers’ arrests — Dawn

Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi criticized the requirement to obtain prior approval from the speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly for the arrest or detention of a lawmaker. He was responding to a letter from the assembly secretariat sent to the province’s inspector general of police, Zulfiqar Hameed.

As Dawn reports, Ibrahim Khan, the assembly’s deputy secretary for administration, reminded police of Article 11 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly Powers, Immunities and Privileges Act, 2026. This provision requires the speaker’s prior approval for the arrest or detention of an assembly member.

Procedure for detaining lawmakers

Under the law, before arresting a lawmaker on a criminal charge or offence, or detaining them under an executive order, a magistrate or executive authority must approach the speaker and state the grounds for such a decision.

If the speaker considers it necessary in the public interest, they may request a police report or challan — procedural case materials — to establish the circumstances. The speaker may also, at their discretion, request investigation materials before the challan is submitted to court. The assembly secretariat instructed the inspector general of police to strictly follow this procedure before the arrest or detention of any provincial legislator.

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Minister’s reaction

Naqvi said police would have to seek the speaker’s permission even when a lawmaker is accused of a criminal offence. He also questioned whether law enforcement officers would have to wait for such permission if a lawmaker killed a person.

The minister called the rule an “extraordinary version of equality before the law” and referred to the concept of “Riyasat-i-Madina,” promoted by PTI’s founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The letter was sent the day after the provincial cabinet approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Bill, 2026. It has not yet been passed by the assembly; the document stipulates that decisions by the inspector general of police will be tied to approval by the chief minister or the provincial government. Pakistan’s Interior Ministry believes the initiative contradicts constitutional principles and weakens the police command system.