PHC suspends eviction notice against KP deputy speaker, bars arrest

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has suspended a government notice directing inactive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Suraiya Bibi to

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has suspended a government notice directing inactive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Suraiya Bibi to vacate her official residence and ordered authorities not to arrest her.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Faheem Wali issued the written order on Thursday following a hearing on the petition filed by Suraiya Bibi. Advocate Yasir Khattak represented her before the court.

In its order, the bench observed that the relevant presidential ordinance did not specifically mention the offices of the speaker or deputy speaker. It also noted that the administrative directive ordering officials to vacate government residences did not refer to these constitutional positions.

The court found sufficient grounds to suspend the eviction notice while the legal questions surrounding the matter are examined. It allowed Suraiya Bibi to continue occupying the official residence and directed law enforcement agencies not to arrest her.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the K-P Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speaker Act 2026 entitled her to retain the official residence throughout her tenure. He also maintained that authorities could not conduct raids or take coercive action against the residence while she continued to hold the office.

Opposing the petition, the provincial advocate general argued that the imposition of an emergency empowered the government to reclaim official residences allocated to ministers, advisers and the deputy speaker.

The advocate general also informed the court that a criminal case under Section 406 of the Pakistan Penal Code had been registered against Suraiya Bibi following a complaint by the Chitral deputy commissioner.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the bench suspended the eviction notice and restrained authorities from arresting the petitioner. The case will be heard again on the next date fixed by the court.