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Saturday, September 28, 2013
New right to information law set to be tabled in Senate for approvalStaff Report
ISLAMABAD: The Right to Information (RTI) Bill 2013 is set to be tabled in the Senate as a bill sponsored by the Information Committee of the Senate representing all political parties during the Senate’s next session.
This was stated by Senator Farhatullah Babar, convener of the Senate sub-committee that was set up in June last year to finalise the draft legislation, at a seminar on the RTI at a local hotel in Islamabad on Friday.
Explaining the salient features of the bill, he said that it sought to repeal the Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, widen the scope of public information to which access is allowed, do away with the blanket immunity in the name of national security, provide for a two-tier appeal against withholding information, make wilful destruction of public record an offence punishable with imprisonment and under the automatic declassification clause provided for mandatory publication of all records and documents, including secret inquiry reports, minutes of meetings, etc, after a lapse of 20 years.
The underlying principles governing the RTI 2013, he said, were to provide for maximum disclosure, minimum exceptions and right to appeal against withholding information.
About the breadth of its scope, he said that it now also included information about transactions regarding acquisition and disposal of property, expenditures of all kinds, grant of licences, approvals, allotments and contracts awarded by a public body to name a few.
“There is no blanket immunity, and exemptions are now limited only to defence planning, deployment of forces, defence installations and matters that can legitimately be related to national security.”
Furthermore, he said that any such exemption claimed would have to be accompanied by a detailed written explanation justifying exemption and explaining as to how disclosure of information would compromise national security.
Similarly, the classification of government documents as secret had also been subjected to a written explanation as to why a certain document is to be classified as secret, he said.
“There is a provision of appeal within the department against the decision denying information and a provision to invoke the jurisdiction of Wafaqi Mohtasib in case of rejection of an appeal.”
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk