Awareness about Right to Information Act highlighted

LAHORE: Secretary Information & Culture Punjab Raja Jahangir Anwar has said that the access to information about matters of public importance is the fundamental right of the citizens; he said this while addressing a seminar regarding the awareness about the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013 at Al-Hamra on Wednesday.

He said the Punjab govt has given the citizens their basic right through the enforcement of Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013. In order to make this legislation more effective, a consultation process with all the stakeholders was also underway.

Raja Jahangir further said the access to information act is being considered for its effective enforcement. He stressed the need to computerise the system of the Punjab Information Commission and for this purpose PITB’s technical collaboration could be obtained.

Raja Jahangir said besides digitalization of Punjab Information Commission, there is a dire need to establish a data bank of applications in order to discourage habitual litigants. He appreciated the efforts made by Chief Information Commissioner (CIO) Mehboob Qadir Shah for the effective implementation of the law.

Former law secretary Sh Ahmed Farooq termed the Punjab Information Act a positive step. He, however, suggested balanced amendments in the law to commensurate it with the ground realities for positive outcomes. Mehboob Qadir also highlighted the salient features of the law.

Baloch: Jamaat-e-Islami naib ameer Liaqat Baloch has said that an independent and empowered Election Commission has never been a priority for the governments. The PTI government’s simultaneous attacks on the Election Commission and media were an omen of the worst dictatorship in near future, he said while addressing a meeting of office-bearers of JI’s sister organisations and political committee on Wednesday.

If the democratic parliamentary representatives did not respect the law and constitutional institutions, anarchy would spread in the country and lawlessness would reach everywhere, he said. The JI, he said, would continue to support independent judiciary, independent media and the empowered Election Commission. The JI will continue to support every struggle for transparent and fair elections in the country, he added.

Baloch said the government was hesitant on the issues of Afghanistan and Kashmir under the pressure of the colonial powers. The government is doing irreparable damage to Pakistan on the external front, he alleged. The people are extremely worried about inflation, unemployment and lawlessness.

Instead of stabilising the institutions, there has been an increase in conspiracies and groupings to destabilise each other, he said. Jamaat-e-Islami will launch a nationwide mass mobilisation campaign to take the country out of crisis, he said.

Meanwhile, Liaqat Baloch offered condolences on the deaths of former senior bureaucrat and intellectual Dr Safdar Mahmood; intellectual and writer Tariq Ismail Sagar; senior broadcaster Azeem Sarwar and National Assembly former member Arshad Hussain Ghurki. Liaqat Baloch also offered condolences to Sardar Akhtar Mengal on the demise of his father national leader Sardar Ataullah Mengal.