PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Monday passed a bill on the closure of shops, business centres and commercial and industrial establishments by 9pm.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shops and Establishment Act, 2015, also specified conditions for work of employees of shops and commercial and industrial establishments.

Public health engineering minister Shah Farman tabled the bill.

“No commercial and industrial establishment shall remain open after 9pm on any day,” read the bill.

According to the proposed law, every employer has to display a board specifying working hours at a prominent place in the respective business places.

Also defines conditions for work at shops, commercial, industrial establishments

The law will not be applicable to certain establishments, including railway stations, trusts, corporations or other public statutory bodies not run for profit or gain in the course of its business, shops or stall in any public fair, bazaars set up for religious or charitable purposes, the clubs, hotels and messes not maintained for profit, and shops dealing in medicines or articles required for funerals, burials or cremations etc.

Under the bill, no employee will work continuously in any work place for more than six hours in the case of an adult and for more than three hours in case of a young person, unless he has been allowed an interval for rest or meals of not less than one hour.

Except with the permission of the government, no woman or young person shall be employed in any work place otherwise than the hours of 8:00am and 7:00pm.

About the overtime wages, the bill states that when any employee is required to work overtime at any workplace, the wages payable to such employee in respect of such overtime work will be calculated at double the ordinary rate of wages payable to them.

The assembly also passed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prohibition of Employment of Children Bill, 2015 and The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judicial Academy (Amendment) Bill, 2015.

The house unanimously passed a resolution condemning suicide attack on Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao and considered it to be an attack on democratic forces in the country.

The joint resolution of the opposition and treasury benches was presented by QWP MPA Anisazeb Tahirkheli.

The resolution said the house considered it to be tantamount to attacking democratic forces in the country and particularly a conspiracy to target the political leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The house expressed the hope that the government would conduct complete investigation into the incident and would arrest culprits for punishment.

Earlier, speaking on a point of order, Sikandar Hayat Sherpao raised the matter.

He said Aftab Sherpao was repeatedly targeted for his struggle for the rights of Pakhtun nation.

He said such attacks were also carried out against other Pakhtun leaders.

“We want peace in the country and support the steps taken for it. Our struggle for the rights of the province will continue,” he said.

Mufti Said Janan of JUI-F said the party had always condemned such incidents.

“We consider attacks on the national leadership attack on democratic institutions. The attack on Aftab Sherpao gives a message to political workers to join forces,” he said.

Provincial public health engineering minister Shah Farman, health minister Shahram Khan Tarakai and local government and rural development minister Inayatullah Khan also condemned the attack.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2015

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