• March 16, 2016
• Access to Information

KARACHI: It is high time we bring reforms for access of information, because unavailability of information is the real cause of under development, said chairperson and founding member of Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) Javed Jabbar. He was speaking at a seminar titled ‘Enhancing Capacities for Transparent and Accountable Local Governance Project’ on Tuesday. The session […]

• March 16, 2016
• Access to Information

ISLAMABAD: The Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI), a non-government think tank, has urged the government to table the right to information (RTI) bill without further delays and that such a law is called for in the Constitution in the chapter regarding fundamental rights and is the right of the people of the country. […]

• March 6, 2016
• Access to Information

It is largely believed that the constitutional right to information was accorded when Article 19-A was inserted into the constitution through 18th Amendment in 2010. The Article 19-A says: “Every citizen shall have the right to have access to information in all matters of public importance subject to regulation and reasonable restrictions imposed by law.” […]

• March 3, 2016
• Access to Information, Media and Governance

ISLAMABAD: The Board of Investment (BOI) has barred all its officers at federal and provincial levels from sharing any information with media persons. Instead of sharing information with potential investors and public at large to promote investments in this part of the world, in a strange directives given to all officers both at federal and […]

• March 3, 2016
• Access to Information, Broadcasting, Media and Governance, Television

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday directed the government to present the Right to Information (RTI) bill in parliament at the earliest, as it has already been delayed for 18 months now. “If the bill which was approved by this committee is not presented in the House before the next […]

• February 24, 2016
• Access to Information

LAHORE: The implementation of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act of 2013 faces hurdles such as the lack of finances and awareness among the public. “There is a flood of information untapped in Punjab which should be used for research, governance, problem solution and so on, but the information seekers in the province […]

• February 24, 2016
• Access to Information

PESHAWAR: A meeting on Tuesday approved proposed amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2013, to make it more comprehensive and accessible to people. Special assistant to chief minister on information and higher education Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani chaired the meeting, according to a statement issued here. The meeting discussed the proposed amendments […]

• February 23, 2016
• Access to Information

PESHAWAR: In a bid to help older adults and retired government servants, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information (RTI) Commission has directed government departments to share details of their retired employees in a monthly report. In a statement issued by the RTI Commission on Monday, it said the commission took the step after it received an […]

• February 20, 2016
• Access to Information

AFTER the new governments of KP and Punjab passed their respective, internationally acclaimed Right to Information (RTI) laws and established their independent information commissions in 2013, it was only natural to expect Sindh and Balochistan, and the federation to replace their restrictive freedom of information laws with more progressive RTI laws. Unfortunately, this has not […]

• February 17, 2016
• Access to Information

KARACHI: The right to information law of Sindh, with all its proposed amendments and recommendations of civil society, has been finalised and will be presented in the assembly soon. Environment minister Sikandar Mandhro shared this at the ‘Provincial Roundtable’ at Mehran hotel on Tuesday afternoon. The event organised by non-governmental organisation Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) […]

• February 16, 2016
• Access to Information

PESHAWAR: In a bid to expand the jurisdiction of the K-P Right to Information Act, 2013, the RTI Commission has proposed amendments to the law. A draft of the proposed amendments, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, has been sent to the law department for feedback, RTI Commissioner Professor Kalimullah told […]

• February 15, 2016
• Access to Information

THE right of citizens to have the state and bureaucracy answer questions is of such significance and has such a wide-ranging impact that the first session of the UN General Assembly in 1946 adopted Resolution 59-1 calling for an international conference on the freedom of information. It noted that this “is a fundamental human right […]

• February 10, 2016
• Access to Information

Contrary to popular perception, when it comes to protecting the rights of citizens, Pakistan has some exemplary laws. The 18th Amendment decrees that access to information held by government bodies is a right of every citizen. The provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) have gone further by introducing their own Right to Information (RTI) […]

• February 6, 2016
• Access to Information

MURREE: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed preparation of a comprehensive national policy on art, literature and artists. He was chairing a meeting at the Government House, Murree, on Friday to review the progress on various development projects pertaining to the hill station. The prime minister said the revival of the film industry was a […]