The Express Tribune: Islamabad: Saturday,
October 01, 2016.
The
constitutional right to information in Pakistan is caught between the political
enthusiasm to enact laws and the political will required to implement them.
This was
argued by civil rights activists and policy experts during a discussion
organised by Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) on Wednesday to
commemorate the International Right to Know Day at the CRCP House in Islamabad.
Though
Pakistan became the first country in South Asia to promulgate a Freedom of
Information Ordinance in 2002, said CRCP Secretary General Abrar Hafeez while
opening the discussion, this law remains ineffectual on many fronts, especially
regarding mechanisms for implementation, and an inordinate list of exemptions.
“Despite
these serious shortcomings, Balochistan and Sindh provinces replicated the
federal ordinance in 2005 and 2006, respectively,” added Hafeez. “Consequently,
both provinces have yet to ensure citizens’ access to information held by
public bodies.”
He added that
it took another eleven years to enact an internationally accepted law in the
form of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act, 2013 which secured third
slot in the Right to Information (RTI) index, a global ranking of RTI laws by
the Canada-based Centre for Law and Democracy.
Subsequently,
Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013 was another landmark
legislation which secured 18th slot in the RTI index.
While
explaining the significance of this constitutional right, Ahmad Ali, research
fellow at Institute of Social and Policy Sciences, said that if practically
granted, the right to information provides a range of benefits, to the citizens
of Pakistan, which include promoting democratic participation, combating
corruption and helping to foster effective, accountable and responsive
government.
“We could get
pleasure from the feel-good factor in having such laws, but the fundamental
divergence in the implementation part doesn’t let the citizens access the
benefits,” said Ali. “It is unfortunate that we fail to see any improvement in
accessing information held by public bodies despite having federal and
provincial RTI laws as well as affirming the state’s responsibility in this
context.”
He emphasised
that in order to create a culture of transparency, citizens must exercise this
right regularly and rigorously.
.JPG)
.JPG)
