Assembly further clips governor's powers
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has further curtailed the Governor's authority by passing amendments to the Public Service Commission Ordinance 1978, making the appointment of the PSC Chairman subject to the approval of the chief minister and provincial cabinet.
The bill, tabled by Provincial Law Minister Aftab Alam, was approved by a majority vote in the assembly session. The amendments align various administrative powers of the Governor with constitutional provisions under Articles 242(1B) and 105, as well as the 18th Constitutional Amendment, to bring provincial laws in harmony with the Constitution.
According to the bill, the Governor will appoint the Chairman of the Public Service Commission on the advice of the Chief Minister, while in other administrative matters related to the commission, the Governor will act according to the advice of the Chief Minister or the provincial cabinet. Amendments were also approved to Sections 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the Ordinance, replacing "Governor" with "Government" where necessary, though the Governor's constitutional role in the Chairman's appointment remains intact.
The changes are aimed at eliminating ambiguities in administrative powers, promoting transparency, merit-based decisions, and strengthening good governance within the institution.
In the same session, the assembly unanimously passed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2026, presented by government member Daoud Shah. The bill revises the population criteria for Village Councils and Neighborhood Councils, raising it from 5,000-15,000 (based on the 2017 census) to 30,000-40,000 people per unit, determined according to the 2023 digital census.
The house also introduced the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Stamp (Amendment) Bill and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Financial Responsibility and Debt Management (Amendment) Bill, referring both to the relevant committee for detailed scrutiny with a report required within two weeks. Reports on the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Hindu Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2026 and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Kalash Marriage Bill 2026 were also presented.