PESHAWAR, August 17: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has passed the Street Vendors Protection Bill 2026 under which more than 140,000 street vendors in the province will get legal protection, ARY News reported.
According to the text of the bill, any person aged 14 years or above can register as a street vendor. Registration and a vending certificate will be mandatory for every street vendor.
Registered vendors will be issued a digital vending certificate with a QR code. The certificate can be suspended or cancelled in case of providing false information or violating the conditions. The right to appeal has also been given against the suspension or cancellation of the certificate.
Registered street vendors will get legal protection against unjust harassment and eviction.
The bill states that selling or transferring a vending certificate will be punishable with a fine of up to 3,000 rupees. Action will be taken for illegal encroachments, violation of cleanliness rules, and sale of prohibited items.
If a government official harasses a vendor, departmental action will be taken against them. If a shopkeeper or citizen harasses a vendor, there can be a fine of 20,000 rupees or one month imprisonment.
The bill further states that more than 140,000 street vendors do business worth over 380 billion rupees annually. The street vending sector contributes approximately 130 billion rupees to the national economy each year. With effective regulation, an additional 2.5 to 5 billion rupees in revenue can be generated annually.
For local governments, this will be the first comprehensive legal framework related to vendors.