PRESS RELEASE

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Commission for more than one and a half year is still functioning without rules of business of its own. 

The RTI Act 2013 passed by the provincial Assembly in November 2013 and under it the RTI Commission was established is yet to formulate its own rules and regulation for official business, The Frontier Post learnt here on Friday. The Commission has been criticized by various quarters including civil society from time to time for not making rules and regulations of the RTI Commission.

Center for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA) Executive Director Muhammad Anwar lamented the delay in preparation of rules of business of the KP RTI Commission. He said that, the rules of the Commission should have been prepared in the initial one or two months after the RTI Act was passed so that it could define everything clearly.

He said that, rules operationalize a law and without it a law cannot operate clearly, adding that the KP RTI Commission should have first prepared a draft of rules and then present it for public feedback on it which it did not while on the other hand Punjab RTI Commission already made its rules though it the Punjab RTI law was passed after KP RTI law.

The CGPA Executive Director further said that if the KP RTI Commission should have rules made earlier but its too late and in turn vital clauses of the RTI Act including pro-active disclosure of information by government departments and Public Information Officer define parameters are not explained due to absence of rules of the Commission.

When the Commissioner RTI Commission Prof. Kalimullah was contacted for comments, he replied that, The rules and regulations of the RTI Commission is now in the process of preparation and it will soon be notified.