Pakistan, Jan. 16 -- The question whether the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly or any committee constituted by it, including a security committee, can directly summon an Army Corps Commander for a briefing on law and order is not merely political in nature; it is a pure question of constitutional competence. The answer must be found strictly within the text, structure, and scheme of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973, read with the Rules of Procedure of the KP Provincial Assembly and settled principles of constitutional law.

The Constitution establishes a federal system with clearly demarcated spheres of authority. Article 141 provides that Parliament may make laws for the whole or any part of Pakistan, whil...