Right to know: ‘Pakistan made legislative strides but lacks will to implement laws’

Sindh, Balochistan yet to ensure citizens’ access to information held by public bodies

ISLAMABAD: The constitutional right to information in Pakistan is caught between the political enthusiasm to enact laws and the political will required to implement them.

This was argued by civil rights activists and policy experts during a discussion organised by Consumer Rights Commission of Pakistan (CRCP) on Wednesday to commemorate the International Right to Know Day at the CRCP House in Islamabad.

Though Pakistan became the first country in South Asia to promulgate a Freedom of Information Ordinance in 2002, said CRCP Secretary General Abrar Hafeez while opening the discussion, this law remains ineffectual on many fronts, especially regarding mechanisms for implementation, and an inordinate list of exemptions.

“Despite these serious shortcomings, Balochistan and Sindh provinces replicated the federal ordinance in 2005 and 2006, respectively,” added Hafeez. “Consequently, both provinces have yet to ensure citizens’ access to information held by public bodies.”

He added that it took another eleven years to enact an internationally accepted law in the form of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act, 2013 which secured third slot in the Right to Information (RTI) index, a global ranking of RTI laws by the Canada-based Centre for Law and Democracy.

Subsequently, Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013 was another landmark legislation which secured 18th slot in the RTI index.

While explaining the significance of this constitutional right, Ahmad Ali, research fellow at Institute of Social and Policy Sciences, said that if practically granted, the right to information provides a range of benefits, to the citizens of Pakistan, which include promoting democratic participation, combating corruption and helping to foster effective, accountable and responsive government.

“We could get pleasure from the feel-good factor in having such laws, but the fundamental divergence in the implementation part doesn’t let the citizens access the benefits,” said Ali. “It is unfortunate that we fail to see any improvement in accessing information held by public bodies despite having federal and provincial RTI laws as well as affirming the state’s responsibility in this context.”

He emphasised that in order to create a culture of transparency, citizens must exercise this right regularly and rigorously.