KP Assembly speaker hits back at Naqvi in spat over parliamentary privileges

• Arrest approval aims to protect legislative independence: Swati.
• KP Assembly speaker urges Naqvi to reconsider his views.
• Says lawmakers remain subject to probes and court proceedings.

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati has hit back at Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi over his remarks about the provinces' introduction of a new police law.

Responding to the interior minister, Swati said that parliamentary privileges protect lawmakers from political pressure without placing them above the law.

"If the interior minister had been an elected public representative and part of the parliamentary system, he would know that parliamentary privileges enjoyed by assembly members are not a new invention," the KP Assembly speaker said.

Swati's comments came a day after Naqvi criticised the KP government over a provision requiring police to seek the provincial assembly speaker's permission before arresting a lawmaker accused of a criminal offence.

"What next? If an MPA kills someone, will the police first wait for the Speaker's permission to arrest him?" Naqvi asked, calling it an "extraordinary version of 'equality before law'."

Defending the legislation, Swati said that prior permission from the speaker before arresting a provincial lawmaker over a criminal allegation was not a new practice in KP.

"These protections are meant to maintain the independence of the legislature and prevent elected representatives from being pressured through the police," the speaker said.

He stressed that such protections did not place any member of the assembly above the law.

"Every member will face investigation, proceedings and judicial action," he said, adding that the speaker's role was only to ensure that an arrest was not made for political revenge or to obstruct assembly proceedings.

"If you pass a law about immunity in the dark of the night, will that be law?" he asked.

The KP Assembly speaker also questioned whether legislation passed after parliamentarians were allegedly subjected to abduction, bribery or floor-crossing could be considered democratic.

"If the government and opposition parties in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly pass a law by consensus, is that not a law?" Swati said.

He urged the interior minister to reconsider what he was comparing, saying, "Think about what you are comparing with what."

Swati also questioned whether raids by masked individuals on the homes of elected representatives and political leaders without warrants constituted democracy.

He further said the privileges being criticised by the interior minister were also enjoyed by him and his colleagues.

"You and your colleagues often behave as though your words themselves are the law. That is not the case," he said.

Swati recalled that he had recently received an international honour for legislative work, describing it as recognition that brought the names of KP and Pakistan to the global level.

He said representatives from 56 countries, 186 assemblies and around 80,000 parliamentarians had attended the conference.

Swati alleged that Naqvi had affected Pakistan's representation by withholding his passport and preventing several lawmakers from attending the conference.

He further alleged that the interior minister wanted to prolong his government by violating human rights principles.