The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has suspended a government notice directing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Deputy Speaker Suraiya Bibi to vacate her official residence and ordered authorities not to arrest her while the legal proceedings continue.
A two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Faheem Wali issued the written order on Thursday after hearing a petition filed by Suraiya Bibi. Advocate Yasir Khattak represented the deputy speaker before the court. The bench allowed her to continue occupying the official residence pending further proceedings.
In its order, the court 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 requiring officials to vacate government residences did not explicitly refer to these constitutional positions. The bench found sufficient grounds to suspend the eviction notice while the legal questions surrounding the matter are examined.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speaker Act 2026 entitled Suraiya Bibi to retain her official residence throughout her tenure. He further maintained that authorities should not conduct raids or take coercive action against the residence while she continued to hold 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 opposing arguments centred on the government’s authority over official residences and the legal protections applicable to the deputy speaker’s position.
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. The court’s order suspending the eviction notice and restraining authorities from arresting her addresses the immediate relief sought in the petition; it does not, by itself, determine the final outcome of the underlying legal disputes.
The case will be heard again on the next date fixed by the court. Further proceedings are expected to examine the legal arguments concerning the official residence, the relevant ordinance and the authority of provincial officials.
