KP passes bill to sack employees hired by caretakers

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday passed a bill that will enable the provincial government to remove those government employees who were recruited during the last interim government.

The assembly also approved legislation for imposing agriculture income tax in the province to be collected from the farmers as per their annual income or possession of agricultural lands. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Employees (removal from employment) Bill 2025 that will empower the provincial government to remove all those government employees from service who were recruited during last caretaker government between January 22, 2023 and February 29, 2024.

Provincial Minister for Law Aftab Alam presented the bill which was passed by the majority amid the opposition protest. The treasury benches rejected as well all amendments to the bill proposed by opposition lawmakers.

Parliamentary party leader of Pakistan People’s Party Ahmad Karim Kundi said that the poor employees should not be punished but the bureaucrats and secretaries of the concerned departments should be held responsible who had approving the then caretaker ministers and government steps in this regard.

However, the law minister said that under the Constitution, the caretaker government was formed for three months to hold elections but the last interim government had not only violated its constitutional role but also recruited more than 10,000 people in provincial government departments.

He said a seven-member committee would be constituted under the chair of secretary Establishment that would review and recommendations within 30 days while data of all those government employees will be collected who had been recruited during the last interim government.

The provincial minister added that those who were selected through the Public Service Commission, under deceased ward quota or minority quota would be exempted from removal of the services.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Income Tax Bill, 2025 was presented by Provincial Minister for Revenue Nazir Abbassi that was approved by the majority while the opposition benches opposed the legislation on the ground that it would adversely affect the farmers in the province.

Under the bill, the farmers, having annual income from their agri land between Rs 0.6 m and Rs 1.2 million, have to pay 15 percent agriculture tax as per annum while those who have more than Rs 1.2 million up to Rs 1.6m agriculture income would pay 20 percent tax on their income.

The farmers, having more than Rs 1.6 m up to 3.2m, will pay 30 percent on their agri products as per annum.

Similarly, a farmer or individual will pay super tax to the provincial government if he earns Rs 150 million or more from his/her agriculture lands while the farmers who possess more than one patwar circle land would share its location and also return collective agriculture income with the concerned department (revenue department).

The farmers possessing 50 acres of arable land or 100 acres of barren or non-arable land will also pay agriculture income tax to the provincial government. Under the bill, KP will be divided into three zones wherein the farmers/residents of these zones have to pay agriculture income tax as per their zone. The session was adjourned till Tuesday afternoon.