An island of transparency in a sea of secrecy

Request for info on giving Karachi land to Army Welfare Trust on throwaway price refused

ISLAMABAD: An NGO filed an information request to the defence ministry inquiring about the number of plots leased out to another NGO at prime locations in the heart of Karachi. Almost four years have passed and a response is still awaited while the Federal Ombudsman has refused to take up the case because “it is connected with the defence of Pakistan.” 

That proactive secrecy is in contrast with the proactive disclosures of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Department that has uploaded everything on its website. Not only are the details of tenders, vacant positions, advertisements in the media, meeting minutes and budgetary grants just a click away, but anyone can check the perks/privileges of officials including the break-up of salary of the secretary information, thus making available most of the information a citizen may be interested in finding.

Punjab’s information department on the other hand has not even bothered to set up its own website, let alone making proactive disclosures. A majority of federal and provincial organisations also loathe the idea of transparency. Any information request filed is either denied or delayed after ridiculous excuses.

But the first case first: a Karachi-based NGO, Shehri, had submitted an RTI request to the defence ministry in March 2012 asking about the details of plots allotted to the Army Welfare Trust. This is a private NGO registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and is in no way a defence organization or connected with the defence of Pakistan. 

The details sought were from 1971 (when the AWT was set up) onward. The questions relating to date of lease of each plot, classification of land type, period of lease, date of resale of plot and the rate of lease were asked.

The information that prompted the RTI request was the lease of 25,000 square yards to the AWT in the commercial hub of Karachi for a mere total amount of Rs6,000. The story doesn’t end here. The AWT sub-leased it to a commercial organisation for an annual amount in excess of Rs17.5 million thus making an astronomical profit in the process and causing a huge loss to the public exchequer. 

The requesting NGO waited for a while and then moved the Federal Ombudsman seeking intervention in order to secure access to information. “Your complaint has been examined. It shows that the matter relates to a defence organisation or is connected with the defence of Pakistan. In such circumstances, the Ombudsman cannot take cognizance of this matter, as per the law,” was the reply received. 

The requester reminded the Ombudsman quoting the Supreme Court’s ruling that the AWT is an NGO. The basis for requesting the information, Shehri further argued, was that leasing out state-owned land to a private organization at throwaway prices is tantamount to institutionalized corruption as the lease amount charged in many cases is next to nothing and is even for free in some cases. 

However, the NGO failed to impress the Ombudsman with its argument who returned the same answer for the dismissal of the appeal. The complainant subsequently filed a representation before the President of Pakistan in 2012 that has been pending since. A reminder through Senator Farhatullah Babar, a transparency champion and then spokesman of the president, failed to expedite the disposal of the representation. 

Another request to the Cantonment Executive Officer of Karachi inquiring about the laws and notification regarding the fee charged for car parking was also not answered by the concerned department. A subsequent appeal to the Ombudsman against the refusal of information was also dismissed on the grounds that the matter is related “to the defence of Pakistan.”     

In this culture of secrecy, KP’s Information Department stands out as a good example for others to follow. Think of any information request relating to the department, you are more likely to get requisite details at its websites. In case it is not there, the website also guides you on how to file an RTI request.

Credit goes to the Provincial Secretary Information Abid Majeed who has even uploaded his details like the salary he draws, the car under his use, the petrol he is authorised to consume and number of calls that he can make from his official telephone.   

Not only can secretary’s salary details be found on the website, the director’s information has also been uploaded. In addition, the administrative powers of officials and their financial authority has also been explained. Even the minutes of meetings are available besides budgetary grants and their spending.