On July 10, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government announced that it will retract controversial clauses from a recently enacted legislative act that expanded lawmakers’ powers and privileges, following extensive public and media backlash.

The decision followed a review ordered by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Afridi on July 8 directed a review of the recently enacted KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026 following strong criticism from the media and the public. He instructed that the law’s controversial provisions be reassessed in consultation with parliamentary leaders.

KP Information Minister Shafi Jan, in a video message, stated that the chief minister chaired a meeting which  KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati joined via video, in which it was decided to withdraw all controversial components of the Act. Jan assured that the clauses would be “restored and corrected” in line with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Powers, Privileges, and Immunities) Act, 1988.