13 K-P labour laws extended to PATA after president’s approval

Pata, which includes Malakand Division, haa historically not been subject to provincial laws

PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has extended 13 labour-related laws to the province’s Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (Pata) which come under legislative control of the governor and president and have historically not been subject to provincial laws.

On Thursday, the K-P Home and Tribal Affairs Department issued a notification through which K-P Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra officially extended 13 labour laws to Pata, which includes Swat, Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Buner, Malakand, Chitral, Shangla and Kohistan districts as well as tribal areas in Battagram and Torghar.

The extension was made with the approval of the president and under clause 3 of the Constitution’s Article 247, which deals with governance of both federally and provincially administered areas.

The laws that cover Pata now include, the K-P Industrial Relations Act, 2010; K-P Standard Weights and Measures Enforcement (amendment) Act 2012; K-P Payment of Wages Act, 2013; K-P Industrial and Commercial Employment (standing orders) Act 2013; K-P Minimum Wages Act 2013; K-P Industrial Statistics Act 2013; K-P Factories Act 2013; K-P Maternity Benefits Act 2013; K-P Worker’s Compensation Act 2013; K-P Prohibition of Employment of Children Act 2015; K-P Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 2015; K-P Shops and Establishment Act 2015 and K-P (Amendment of Laws) Act 2015.



Laws passed by the K-P Assembly are not applicable in Pata until the federal government extends them.

An official of the K-P home department told The Express Tribune that the extension of these laws means the areas of Pata come under the ambit of K-P government. “Child labour and bonded labour went on unchecked in Pata so far but now K-P government would have a check on them,” he said.

Unions in K-P have welcomed the move saying that the laws would help in reducing labour rights violation. “It is indeed a good step and will help in reducing abuse of labour in Pata which remained hidden from the oversight of the K-P government,” said Arif Afridi of National Trade Union Federation.

He added it was the provincial government’s responsibility to ensure that the laws get implemented.