Three top officials of Punjab Information Commission sacked

The Punjab government has removed the chief information commissioner and two commissioners of the Punjab Information Commission, which was created for access to information.

According to the documents obtained by “Jang”, a notification issued by Information and Culture Secretary Daniyal Saleem Gilani said Chief Information Commissioner Syed Mehboob Qadir Shah and commissioners Dr. Arif Mushtaq and Chaudhary Shaukat Ali had been removed from their posts under sub-section 8 of section 5 under the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013.

According to the notification, the decision to remove them was taken in the 36th meeting of the caretaker Punjab cabinet after approval on January 19. Reliable sources told “Jang” that earlier a show-cause notice was issued by the Department of Information and Culture to the Punjab Information Commission, in which it was said that the commission had not responded to audit questions related to it. The Information Commission should submit a detailed reply in this regard, it added. To which the commission replied that they were legally accountable to the Punjab Assembly where the commission has been submitting its annual report.

Sources say the Punjab Information Commission was hearing high-profile requests for access to information related to the provincial government. According to sources, in a case being heard in the Information Commission under the Access to Information Act (Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2013), a petitioner had asked the Punjab government how many ministers there were in the current caretaker government who have dual citizenship and sought their details. The Punjab Information Commission took a strict stand in this case and issued orders to the Punjab government to make public the names of provincial ministers with dual nationality, but the Punjab government did not implement the commission’s orders.

Sources said that in another case which was heard by the Information Commission, a petitioner had asked the Punjab government to provide the details of gifts to important leaders and diplomats during the tenures of former chief ministers Shehbaz Sharif and Usman Buzdar. The Information Commission had ordered the caretaker Punjab government to make public the details of all the gifts, but the Punjab government took a stand that the details should be sought from the new government.

Sources said that there were several such applications filed in the commission under the Access to Information Act, on which the caretaker Punjab government not only did not implement the commission’s orders to make the information public, but also expressed its displeasure through various sources.

When contacted, Information and Culture Secretary Daniyal Gilani said it was the government’s decision to remove the officials which was implemented. When asked if the current caretaker government was upset with the Chief Information Commissioner because of his decisions and hence he was removed, another senior government official said on the condition of anonymity that there was no such thing. “All is wrong,” he added.

The Chief Information Commissioner and both Commissioners have held important posts prior to their latest assignments. Syed Mehboob Qadir Shah was first appointed as Chief Information Commissioner by former Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif for 3 years in 2018, after which Chief Minister Usman Buzdar gave him an extension of 3 years.

Dr. Arif Mushtaq was appointed as Commissioner Information Commission in January 2022. His three-year term was to end in January 2025. The third commissioner, Chaudhary Shaukat Ali, was also appointed in 2022 and he was supposed to retire in 2025. Syed Mehboob Qadir is a retired district and sessions judge. He has also been the Registrar Lahore High Court. He is the brother-in-law of the present Prosecutor General of NAB, Syed Ehtesham Qadir. The second commissioner, Dr. Arif Mushtaq, has been a senior officer of the Police Service of Pakistan. He has served as Chief of Police in several districts and as Additional IG (Special Branch) Punjab. The third commissioner, Chaudhary Shaukat Ali, is the brother of former Corps Commander and DG Rangers Sindh General Bilal Akbar. The three commissioners are among the most competent, hardworking and honest officers in their respective departments.