KPIC to set up appellate forums

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Commission (KPIC) is all set to establish appellate forums at three divisional headquarters, ie Dera Ismail Khan, Abbottabad and Swat.

Arrangements for setting up such a forum in Malakand division have been finalised. The Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) KPIC Sajid Khan Jadoon and Commissioner Riaz Khan Daudzai along with their team held meetings with authorities in the division, including the deputy commissioners Malakand and Swat and district and sessions judge, Swat. Discussing the forum with the deputy commissioner, the CIC underlined the importance of the appellate arrangements at the district level and requested the deputy commissioner Swat, Saqib Raza Aslam, to provide space for the staff and visiting bench of the Commission.

The CIC added that the forum would not only lessen the burden on the working of the commission, but it would also save the complainants of extra fatigue, besides saving their precious time and resources. The deputy commissioner committed to providing space for the forum besides all other required facilities. Later, meeting the District and Sessions Judge Swat, Zafar Iqbal Khan, the CIC briefed the honourable judge on the functioning of the Commission and details of the complaints redressed so far.

The district & sessions judge welcomed the KPIC delegation and vowed to lend his full support. He said that subordinate judiciary is the appellate forum for the complainants as well as a public body of the commission under the KP RTI Law at the same time. Earlier, KPIC Commissioner Riaz Khan Daudzai gave a detailed presentation on the KP RTI Law and the Commission to the district administration and district judiciary. The CIC awarded KPIC shield to the deputy commissioner and district and sessions judge, Swat.