Daily Times: PK: Tuesday, August 01, 2017.
Sir,
As we know
that in result of 18th amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan of 1973
Article 19 A and Article 19 were inserted in the Constitution. Article 19-A
guarantees right to information to every citizen of Pakistan whereas, Article
19 gives right freedom of speech to every citizen.
These two
Articles are fundamental rights of every citizen of Pakistan meaning thereby
regardless of any caste, creed or breed, etc mentioned rights to be given to
everyone. Following insertion of Article 19-A Punjab and KP passed
supplementary provincial legislation dealing with right to information. Punjab
assembly in the year 2013 promulgated an act called “The Punjab Transparency
and Right to Information 2013” (RTI).
The mentioned
act gave right to know to every citizen of Punjab and that was passed with
intention of strengthening democracy and reducing corruption across all semi
and governmental bodies/organisations of Punjab. By virtue of Section 7 of the
Act Punjab Information Commission was notified for dealing with matter
pertaining to the right to information. It was given a mandate of directing
directions and orders to those public departments that fail or delay
information of the citizen (s). It was RTI 2013 under which an application to
the Lahore Chief Justice was made by a citizen for letting aware of his perks,
allowances, and monthly salary. This had happened very first in the history of
Pakistan that a judge was being asked a question relating to his salary, perks,
and allowances.
The Lahore
Chief Justice in compliance with the orders passed by the Information
Commission had made his monthly salary and perks public. The decision of the CJ
was much appreciated by all segments of the society and it set an excellent
example in the country that secret culture must be ended and public has to be
made aware of public funds and public bodies functioning.
The issue is
that for last three months Punjab Information Commission seats of Chief
Information Commissioner and two Additional Information Commissioners have been
vacant because those who were appointment as Chief Information Commissioner and
Additional Information Commissioners got retired in March and April this year
respectively. Since April this year the government of Punjab has taken no
interest in fulfilling those seats not an advertisement had been advertised
fort seeking applications. Many applications of applicants of common citizens
have been pending adjudication in the Commission because seats of Commissioners
are vacant since March.
Through this
letter I want to bring into attention of provincial government to appoint
Information Commissioner and Additional Commissioners so that Information
Commission resumes working as soon as possible. The Information Commission
Punjab produced excellent results it had directed even the office of Governor
Punjab to release information relating to questions of the applicant this story
of excellence doesn’t stop here it had the privilege of directing the office of
Chief Minister Punjab to public details of CM Punjab foreign trips and
expenditure of CM secretariat. I urge the authorities and CM Punjab to appoint
Chief Information Commissioner.
SARMAD ALI