AS Pakistan enters another year of independence, we often find ourselves asking the question: Are we really free? What does freedom mean in practice? Is it simply the right to exist as a ‘Pakistani’ citizen? To me, freedom means being entitled to the full spectrum of my human rights, including the right to education and […]
ISLAMABAD: Parliamentarians from across the political divide have succeeded in drafting a very powerful Right to Information (RTI) law which, if passed, will change the information landscape of the country. The draft “Right to Information Act, 2014”, a copy of which is available with The News, not only binds the government to share information about […]
Karachi: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the information technology secretary, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority chairman and others on Tuesday on a petition challenging the ban on video-sharing website YouTube. Saadullah Khan and others petitioners submitted that the PTA had banned over 1,000 websites including YouTube since September 2012 because of blasphemous contents. They […]
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting and National Heritage on Tuesday approved the Right to Information Bill 2013 with proposed amendments. Senator Farhatullah Babar told the committee that the Upper House has already passed Right to Information Bill 2013 but the government has proposed amendments. After finalisation of discussion of amendments the […]
Worthy legislation is one thing, getting it implemented quite another. There is much to applaud in the passing of the Punjab Right to Transparency and Information Bill in December 2013, but since the bill came on to the statute books precious little has been done to implement it. The government has not reserved any funds […]
LAHORE: Six months after the introduction of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act (RTI) 2014, the government has failed to implement the legislation and has not reserved any funds for the purpose in this year’s budget. This has raised questions about the establishment of the Punjab Information Commission (PIC), and the three information […]
MUZAFFARABAD: A Geo cameraman was ousted from the budget session of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly on Friday. Information and Broadcasting Secretary Dr Shehla Waqar said to the cameraman that Geo was not allowed to cover the session. Geo Bureau Chief, Muhammad Arif, giving his stance on the incident, said that no one […]
FAISALABAD: Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013 (RTI) is a positive step towards a transparent, efficient and publicly acceptable governance system in Punjab, said Engr. Suhail Bin Rashid, President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI). He was chairing the first ‘RTI Baithak’ organized by Beacon house University on ‘Role of Civil Society […]
SIALKOT: USAID and DTCE jointly organised a session on accountability & right to information and the participants were told that Article 19A of the Constitution of Pakistan provides that every citizen shall have the right to information in all the matters of public importance. Ghulam Mustafa, a capacity development specialist, informed the participants that public […]
ISLAMABAD: The Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) has welcomed the proposals of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting regarding establishment of an independent and autonomous information commission at the federal level and providing legal protection to whistleblowers. A statement issued by CRCP secretary general Mian Abrar Hafeez praised the committee and […]
Sir: Even those outside of the ‘liberal-fascist’ viewpoint are now beginning to understand that the ban on YouTube is suspect, and few believe this issue is about blasphemous content anymore. The question is: who benefits from the YouTube ban in Pakistan? Actually, there is a long list of those benefiting from the ongoing blockage of […]
It is rare for our National Assembly to agree unanimously to anything and for them to vote unanimouly for a resolution that proposes the lifting of the ban on YouTube is little short of astonishing. The resolution was moved by PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri who has long campaigned for its removal. Her argument was a […]
ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a conference on Saturday accused the government of violating right to information law. The international conference was held at a local hotel to mark World Press Freedom Day. “Mediapersons are not allowed to get information especially from the military establishment,” they maintained. Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Heritage Shahid Khaqan Abbasi […]
LAHORE: More than a 100 days have passed since the Punjab Assembly passed the Transparency and Right to Information (RTI) Act 2013. According to clause 7 of the Act, all public bodies should have designated and notified as many public information officers (PIO) in administrative offices as necessary within 60 days of the passing of […]
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