Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Wajid Iqbal and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) Senator Manzoor Ahmed have proposed changes to the information act bill, suggesting restricting the public’s right to information from the National Assembly and Senate, including their secretariats, committees, and members. The members of civil society have criticised the move, calling it “regressive”.
The Rights of Access to Information Act 2017 provides an overall legal framework for the enforcement of citizens’ right to information. It ensures that everyone shall have the fundamental right of access to information and promote the purpose of making the Government more accountable to its people, and of improving participation by the people in public affairs, and promoting good governance.
The proposed amendment to the act suggests that the public would not be able to seek information from the National Assembly and Senate, including their secretariats, committees, and members. The bill is scheduled to be taken up next week in the Cabinet.
According to Dawn, the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) has urged the lawmakers to reject the proposed amendment, deeming it “regressive”.
In letters written to lawmakers, the CPDI said the efforts to weaken laws should be rejected and instead the citizens’ access to the information must be strengthened.
PPP leader Farhatullah Babar also said expressed concerns over the proposed amendment, saying “By excluding itself from RTI Act 2017, refusing transparency while demanding transparency from all other state institutions the parliament is only ridiculing itself. Pity. Parliament bemoaning that it is not respected sounds hollow.”
By excluding itself from RTI Act 2017, refusing transparency while demanding transparency from all other state institutions the parliament is only ridiculing itself. Pity. Parliament bemoaning that it is not respected sounds hollow https://t.co/l5LCLAHeDZ
— Farhatullah Babar (@FarhatullahB) February 9, 2023
Former Punjab Information Commissioner Mukhtar Ahmad Ali questioned the PTI senator for proposing the amendment, saying that the proposed changes to the act will make “parliament less transparent”.
Isn’t it @ImranKhanPTI Sb highly hypocritical that your party talks of transparency in governance, but your party Senator @WalidIqbalPTI joins a move to make #Parliament less transparent by excluding it from the purview of Right of Access to Information Act 2017. @FaisalJavedKhan https://t.co/xNjivdcwgJ
— Mukhtar Ahmad Ali مختار (@mqur2001) February 9, 2023
