PTI Chairman Imran Khan speaks during the workshop on Right to Information at a local hotel in Islamabad. PHOTO INP
Participants at a workshop on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) new right to information law were left in a lurch as the only information they received was a rhetoric-laden speech by Imran Khan.
Speaking at an awareness workshop on the Right to Information (RTI) Ordinance at a local hotel, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief — whose party is in power in K-P — took the conference topic on a tangent by offering one defence after the other over allegations of him and other senior leaders managing the affairs of K-P from Lahore.
Khan said that he is only “keeping an eye on the situation” and has yet to intervene in the province’s affairs.
Khan said he would interfere in the K-P government affairs if he came to know that the party policy is not being implemented.
“Corruption is the mother of all ills in the country and truth is the base of democracy. Sadly all dictators muzzled the media and information, but RTI is in line with democratic norms,” he added. He congratulated K-P Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak and other cabinet members on the promulgation of the ordinance.
While explaining the need to get the word out, Khan remarked that “As the public is not familiar with democratic traditions, we will start an awareness campaign to inform people of their rights”.
The PTI chief claimed that they are going to transform lavish government guest houses into educational institutions or use them for commercial purposes. “Due to security concerns, the chief minister’s house cannot be converted for these purposes but we are looking towards the Governor House for this.”
Khan said Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Peshawar will be completed in two years.
PILDAT Executive Director Ahmed Bilal Mehboob asked the PTI government to launch an awareness campaign regarding this law through mobile phones and prepare a periodic report regarding its progress.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 31st, 2013.
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@Imtiaz Ali Rao: ET......such a nonsense!!!! No sense of responsibility......
Can the editors please edit this article to sound less of a hit piece on the PTI and more reflective of the facts?
Umar Cheema @UmarCheema1 1h Contrary to the Tribune report (see last tweet),there was detailed presentation on RTI law, PTI's charter of governance besides speeches.
Since this bill/act is for KPK, why this workshop was not held in Peshawer or KPK? Who paid the expenses of this workshop held in Marriot? Apparently poor peoples' donation was spent on this advertisement.
ET is a Liberal dish rag.
Shameful reporting. Here is what Umar Cheema tweeted about this ET reporter: "No info at #PTI's RTI workshop http://tribune.com.pk/story/597642/not-sharing-the-limelight-no-information-at-right-to-information-workshop/ … Had the reporter been there, he'd not have reported like this. I doubt his presence." https://twitter.com/UmarCheema1/status/373703802626777088
The reporter has written this biased report while sitting in his office.
Please check out Umar Cheema's tweet regarding this news and form your own opinion....
A complete presentation was given. Everybody appreciated kpk government for introducing this law.
Let me RT a tweet here:
Umar Cheema : … Had the reporter been there, he'd not have reported like this. I doubt his presence.
ET please..totally biased in reporting PTI