CCI obligation

The Council of Common Interests (CCI) has not published its last two annual reports, which is a violation of the people’s right to information. This makes it difficult for people to monitor and evaluate the council’s performance. Moreover, in the absence of annual reports, it is very difficult to prepare policy recommendations for the council. The CCI was established with the aim to encourage greater public participation and devolve power to lower tiers. But the refusal of the CCI to share information with people negates both these objectives.
The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, which is responsible for sharing information on the CCI’s working, does not offer any reason or tell us the reasons for not publishing the annual reports. It seems silence is the only action when it comes to fulfilling their constitutional obligations. On the positive side, the CCI does share information about its constitutional obligations, rules and procedures, meetings and last three annual reports on the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination website. However, it does not provide any information about the schedule of its future meetings. Parliament should look into this constitutional lapse.
Naseer Ahmed
Islamabad