Why is KP speaker defending prior approval for arresting lawmakers?
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati has rejected Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s criticism of a provision requiring police to obtain the speaker’s permission before arresting a provincial lawmaker.
Swati said the requirement was intended to protect the independence of the legislature and prevent elected representatives from being subjected to political pressure through police action.
His remarks came a day after Naqvi questioned the provision, asking whether police would need the speaker’s permission if an MPA were accused of killing someone.
Does the provision give lawmakers immunity from the law?
Swati said the provision did not place lawmakers above the law, stressing that assembly members would remain subject to investigations, legal proceedings and court action.
He said the speaker’s approval was intended to ensure that arrests were not carried out for political retaliation or to disrupt parliamentary proceedings.
Swati also urged Naqvi to reconsider his criticism, arguing that parliamentary privileges were established to safeguard legislative independence rather than provide immunity from criminal proceedings.