There is a great need in Sindh to pass and implement a law similar to the RTI laws in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab
KARACHI: The Sindh Local Government Ordinance 2001, section 137, states: “1) Every citizen shall have the right to information (RTI) about any office of the district government taluka, municipal administration and union administration; 2) Every office shall provide requisite information, if not restricted under any law for the time being in force, on the prescribed forms and on payments of such fees as many as prescribed.”
The Sindh Freedom of Information Act of 2006 was passed by the provincial assembly of Sindh in 2006 and was published for general information as required by Rule 83 of the Rules of Procedure of the Sindh Assembly. The aim of the Act was to provide transparency and freedom of information to the citizens of Sindh and to ensure that the citizens of this province have improved access to public records for the purpose of making the provincial government more accountable to its citizens in matters of governance.
According to my view, this law is ineffective, as the people of Sindh do not have access to the information they require. There is a great need in the province to pass and implement a law similar to the RTI laws in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab, which are considered to be two of the best RTI laws in the world. Access to information for citizens for various public departments will help create a corruption-free environment for growth and democracy in the country.
Huma Ashar
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
