Pledge to strengthen RTI implementation

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Commission (KPIC) and Pakistan Information Commission (PIC), Islamabad have pledged to implement the Right to Information (RTI) law.

Chief Information Commissioner of KPIC, Farah Hamid Khan, met with Chief Information Commissioner of PIC, Shoaib Ahmad Siddique in Islamabad to discuss their achievements and challenges.

Farah Hamid said that political will is a must for implementing the RTI law of 2013. She highlighted KPIC’s success as an exemplary organisation when the government was keen on implementing this law. She said that due to vacant positions of information commissioners, over 1,700 complaints were pending at KPIC.

More than 24,000 people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have utilised the RTI law, with 13,000 receiving information directly from government departments. In contrast, over 10,000 citizens have lodged complaints with KPIC. Farah Hamid also said that the Commission had issued over 8,000 orders/directions in response to these complaints, ensuring citizens’ access to information.

During the meeting, both the chief information commissioners exchanged documents and discussed their future plans for RTI implementation in their respective regions. They stressed the importance of collaboration to find solutions to future challenges.