PRESS RELEASE

PESHAWAR: Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA) has welcomed the approval of proposed amendments in KP Right to Information Act 2013 by KP information and law departments.

It is hoped that these amendments will soon be tabled in KP Assembly, said a spokesman for CGPA here Tuesday.

The suggested amendments will make the law more effective in citizen`s access to information held by public bodies.

The proposed amendments are provision of false information will be criminal offence along with destruction of record, and making Peshawar High Court as appellate forum against the decisions of the KP information commission.

Other amendments proposed are, all courts financed by government to be included in public bodies and will have to provide information under the RTI law, 'Requester" to also include organizations registered, Public Information Officers (PIOs) have the authority to provide all information and all officials in concerned department has to act in his/her aid.

Similarly other amendment included delay in provision of information to be considered as "Willful Obstruction", limitation of 30 working days on requester for complaint filing, Commissioner `s vacant position to be initiated 120 days before & filled within 30 days in case of retirement and 120 days of vacancy due to any other reason, if Information delayed then Right to Information Commission will direct the head of public body for compliance in 20 days, fine to be imposed due to delay in provision of information and will be recoverable according to the Government Dues Recovery Ordinance 1962.

Muhammad Anwar, Executive Director CGPA, welcomed these proposed amendments. He stated that these amendments would strengthen the implementation mechanism and broaden the scope of the KP RTI law.

He also demanded the members Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Select Committee on RTI and KP assembly to pass the proposed amendments in KP RTI law.

The amendments were approved in a meeting held on Feb 23 last, chaired by Mushtaq Ghani, Special Assistant to CM KP on Information.