Pakistan Today: Pakistan: Wednesday,
February 15, 2017.
The
government is working to amend the current Freedom of Information Ordinance
2002 at the federal level and trying to convert it into a Right to Information
Bill to provide better access to information and stop misuse of the oft-used
excuse of ‘national interest’ that is applied so arbitrarily.
A Senate body
comprising of members from both treasury and opposition benches has already
approved the amended draft which will be presented in the National Assembly
soon.
Here
are some of the salient features of the proposed draft:
Recognition
of right to know;
The bill
recognises citizens’ right to know under the Constitution of Pakistan 1973. It
also recognises the right to information about the activities of the
government.
Misuse of
‘national interest’;
Under the
bill, no state institution would be allowed to shield corruption and human
rights violations in the name of “national interest”.
The defence
ministry’s blunt suggestion that the RTI legislation should not be taken up
without obtaining an NOC (no objection certificate) from the ministry was rejected.
Protection
to whistleblowers;
Whistleblowers
of any organistaion including from security organsiations who raise flag on
corruption and misappropriations will be protected and given immunity from
prosecution.
Access to
public CCTV footage;
The bill
proposes to ensure public access to the CCTV footage at public places.
Information
on matters relating to human rights;
Under the
proposed bill, no information that pertains to matters of fundamental human
rights will be allowed to be withheld.
Missing
persons;
The draft
proposes that information about the ‘missing persons’ will be provided in
writing by the relevant institution within three days of a request for the
same.
The
commission;
The prime
minister will form a three-member commission with the power to order public
bodies to provide information and records under the bill. The commission will
entertain requests for records from the past 20 years, as records older than 20
years will automatically pass in the public domain.
Formation
of commission;
The
commission members will comprise one member of civil society, one from the
bureaucracy, and one from the judiciary. All members should be under 65 years
of age.
Report to
parliament;
The
commission will provide bi-annual report to parliament on the activities of
public bodies.
Removal
from commission;
A standing
committee of the Senate and National Assembly will have the authority to remove
members of the commission.
Action
against commission members;
Penal action
will be taken against members of the commission in case they deliberately
destroy any records.
Sensitive
information;
As per State
Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, under the proposed bill sensitive
information regarding issues related to ‘national interest’ and foreign policy
will not be made public. In such a case, an authorised officer will have to
explain in writing why the information should not be made public.
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