Right to information

The RTI Act was enacted in 2017. Since then four federal government departments were sent requests for information. All four failed to respond. As the government created a vacuum by failing to establish an Information Commission, the complaints were sent to the Federal Ombudsman. The Ombudsman simply turned down all applications stating that the only forum for RTI complaints is the ‘non-existent’ RTI Information Commission. So the federal government has successfully nullified its own RTI system.

The Sindh RTI Act appeared in April 2017, but the Sindh Information Commission is nowhere in sight. Although Punjab has an Information Commission, the institute has no standing without information commissioners. The state functionaries, taking full advantage of this fractured and dysfunctional system, feel no real compulsion to respond to citizens’ request for information. Both the federal and provincial governments must take urgent steps to establish Information Commissions, appoint designated officers and ensure that the officials respond to RTI requests.

Naeem Sadiq

Karachi