Swati said parliamentary privileges were intended to protect lawmakers from political pressure and did not place 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,” Swati said.
His comments came a day after Naqvi criticised the provision, asking whether police would need the speaker's permission if an MPA were accused of killing someone. He described the arrangement as an “extraordinary version of equality before law”.
The provision is contained in Section 11 of the KP Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act 2026. It requires the relevant magistrate or executive authority to seek the speaker's prior permission, along with reasons, before an MPA can be arrested on a criminal charge or detained under an executive order.
Swati defended the requirement, saying similar protections were not new to KP's parliamentary system.
He said the purpose was to safeguard the independence of the legislature and prevent police powers from being used to pressure elected representatives.
The speaker stressed that the provision did not provide immunity from investigation or judicial proceedings.
“Every member will face investigation, proceedings and judicial action,” he said, adding that the speaker's role was to ensure that an arrest was not carried out for political revenge or to obstruct parliamentary proceedings.
Swati also questioned whether legislation could be considered democratic if lawmakers were allegedly subjected to abductions, bribery or pressure over floor-crossing.
He argued that legislation passed by consensus between the government and opposition in the provincial assembly remained law and urged the interior minister to reconsider his comparison.
The speaker also raised concerns over raids by masked individuals at the homes of elected representatives and political leaders without warrants, questioning whether such actions were compatible with democratic principles.
Swati said parliamentary privileges were not exclusive to the provincial assembly's members and suggested that federal lawmakers and officials also benefited from similar protections.
He further referred to an international honour he had recently received for his legislative work, saying the recognition brought attention to KP and Pakistan.
According to Swati, representatives from 56 countries, 186 assemblies and around 80,000 parliamentarians had attended the conference.
He alleged that Naqvi had affected Pakistan's representation by withholding his passport and preventing several lawmakers from attending the event.
Swati also accused the interior minister of seeking to prolong the government's tenure at the expense of human rights principles, a claim that was not independently established in the reports reviewed.
