The role of public information officers (PIO) is imperative for successful implementation of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Right to Information (RTI) Act 2013, said K-P RTI chief information commissioner Sahibzada Muhammad Khalid.
He was addressing a two-day workshop for PIOs organised by K-P RTI Commission at the Pakistan Provincial Services Academy (PPSA) on Thursday. “We have one of the most comprehensive RTI laws in the world. It is now the people’s responsibility to exercise their rights and the PIOs to address queries within the stipulated time,” he added.
The workshop aimed to train PIOs in utilising the newly-developed web portal. It also highlighted salient features of the legislation and the role and responsibilities of these officers in its implementation.
Also speaking on the occasion, RTI commissioner Abdul Mateen said that as of December 16, 255 complaints are pending while 167 have been cleared.
RTI commissioner Professor Kalimullah said it is the duty of all PIOs to maintain a record of the applications, respond to them within 10 to 20 days, ensure proactive publications and update the official website. “Negligence could result in legal action,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2014.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ