• September 29, 2017
• Access to Information, Front Page

ISLAMABAD: Admitting that certain institutions in the country lacked transparency and accountability, former information minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Senator Pervaiz Rashid said there were “some institutions” in the country which placed hurdles in access to information. While speaking at a ceremony organised by the Coalition on the Right to Information at the National Press […]

• September 20, 2017
• Access to Information, Front Page, Media and Governance, Media Ethics, Media Safety, Print Media

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Arangzeb revealed on Tuesday a senior officer had been found responsible for a recent controversy about proposed amendments to the Press Council of Pakistan Ordinance to regulate the print media. Sharing the outcome of a fact-finding inquiry into the matter, she said at a news conference that […]

• September 15, 2017
• Access to Information

ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday failed to secure the passage of the long-awaited Right of Access to Information Bill 2017 from the National Assembly for a second consecutive day due to a lack of quorum. The bill, which was passed unanimously by the Senate on Aug 23, was taken up clause-wise on Wednesday, but could […]

• September 10, 2017
• Access to Information

In 2016, the Swedish and Finnish governments celebrated the 250thanniversary of the world’s first Freedom of Information (FOI) law that was passed in Sweden in 1766. Nudged by an Asian Development Bank precondition, Pakistan made its first FOI law in 2002. Between the federation and the four provinces, Pakistan today has five independent Right to Information […]

• September 7, 2017
• Access to Information, Front Page, General News, Media and Governance, Media and Society

PESHAWAR / ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the establishment division to submit a reply in connection with an application of the former principal information officer Rao Tehsin Ali Khan, who has sought a copy of the classified report on Dawn Leaks scandal and also the court’s help for his promotion. Tehsin was among […]

• August 28, 2017
• Access to Information, Front Page

In a major step towards establishing transparency and accountability, the Senate has unanimously passed ‘Right of Access to Information Bill, 2017’. Based on well-recognized principles of maximum disclosures and minimum exemptions, the bill strikes a right balance between national security and public interest. The result of months of deliberations by experienced and rights-oriented members of […]

• August 24, 2017
• Access to Information

The Right of Access to Information Bill 2017, which was first presented in the upper house of the parliament back in May, was unanimously adopted by the Senate on Tuesday. It is being speculated that if this bill is adopted by the National Assembly (NA) and signed by the President, it would make access to information […]

• August 23, 2017
• Access to Information

ISLAMABAD: The long-pending Right of Access to Information Bill finally saw the light of day on Tuesday when the upper house of parliament adopted it unanimously. If implemented, the bill would give people – including the media – access to public record. However, there will still be some limitations in obtaining access to the material that […]

• August 22, 2017
• Access to Information, Front Page

In passing the Public Interest Disclosures Bill, 2017, the National Assembly has attempted to rectify one of the omissions in the Right to Information draft bill being considered by parliament. The bill aims to provide protection to whistleblowers who make public any corruption, criminal activity or wrongdoing by those in power. Whistleblowers are a vital […]

• July 19, 2017
• Access to Information

LAHORE: The Punjab Information Commission (PIC), the watchdog to ensure the Punjab right to information act, has been working without its vital officials for around three months. The PIC, which helps people to get relevant information from the department concerned in case of non-compliance, is working without the chief and two information commissioners. Chief Information […]

• June 1, 2017
• Access to Information

The Right of Access to Information Bill, unanimously passed by the Senate Standing Committee on Information          on Monday, will likely end up allowing the government to suppress information that should be in the public domain. Various iterations of RTI bills have been drafted over the last years but this latest version may be the weakest […]

• May 30, 2017
• Access to Information, Front Page, Media and Governance, Media Safety

ISLAMABAD: ‘The Right of Access to Information Bill, 2017’ was unanimously approved by the Senate Standing Committee on Information on Monday, within weeks of being presented in the upper house. The bill grants citizens the right to have access to all information held by public bodies subject to ‘reasonable restrictions’. The bill was introduced in […]

• May 20, 2017
• Access to Information

ISLAMABAD: The Right of Access to Information Bill 2017 moved in the Senate is highly restrictive, like the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, under which journalists as well as citizens will not be able to seek certified information from government departments. This was stated by members of Coalition on Right to Information (CRTI) at a […]

• May 20, 2017
• Access to Information, Broadcasting, Freedom of Expression, Front Page, Media and Governance, Media Development, Media Safety

KARACHI: International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) Executive Director Annie Game has urged Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to respond to UNESCO Director-General’s 2017 request that has sought information on the status of judicial inquiries into the killings of 55 journalists in Pakistan from 2006 to 2016. In a letter, Game also asked the Prime […]