Right to information: Concealing information means hiding corruption

Minister says even PMs have been kept in dark in past.

ISLAMABAD:

The government will ensure access to information for the common man as it will guarantee a better country for our next generation.

This was stated by Minister of Information Pervaiz Rasheed at a seminar titled “Implementation of true vision of right to information laws” where he said the “sharing of information with the public will help bring transparency and improve governance”.

He said the access to information law had been approved by the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting with a consensus. However, there was still room for improvement, he added. If a government hides information it means that it is hiding its corruption and the bad work being done by it, he said.

Past governments concealed information from elected representatives and even prime ministers were denied information from certain quarters. He said a government could not be called a representative government if it hid information from its people.

He said the access to information law adopted by the Punjab government has been appreciated by the all members of society.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2013.