The News International: Islamabad: Friday, September 29,
2017.
The News
journalist Fakhar Durrani on Thursday won RTI Champions Award, 2017, for his
investigative reporting based on Right to Information RTI Laws.
The award was
conferred by Coalition on Right to Information (CRTI) in two
categories--Journalist and Citizen. Fakhar won the award in Journalist category
whereas Asif Munawar in the Citizen category, here at the National Press Club.
Former
Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator
Pervez Rashid, along with Senator Farhatullah Babar, presided the RTI Award
ceremony.
Fakhar
Durrani, the winner in the Journalist category, had made an effective use of
the existing national and sub-national RTI legislation in the country to do his
investigative stories, including on the parliamentarians who obtained medical
treatment abroad from taxpayers’ money, HEC scholarships during the past five
years and pensions of retired employees of the Ministry of Defence. In order to
promote the culture of transparency and good governance, the journalists need
to use this law regularly to make the rulers answerable, he said.
Asif Munawar,
the winner in the Citizen category, hails from Jhang district. He filed a
number of information requests under the Punjab Transparency and RTI Act, 2013,
thus contributing to improving the quality of service delivery at local level.
Congratulating
the winners, Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives Executive Director
Amer Ejaz said that people of Pakistan are empowered by the Constitution of
Pakistan to get access to information; however, the Freedom of Information
Ordinance, 2002, and Right of Access to Information Bill, 2017, which seek to
repeal FOI, 2002, is regretfully still restrictive in nature.
He also
mentioned the need of appointing Punjab Information Commissioners and
establishment of Sindh Information Commission. He encouraged all the citizens
to use their right to know.
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