The National Forum of Information Commissioners (NFIC) on Friday concluded its two-day conference calling for timely appointments of information commissioners to strengthen information commissions.
The event, held in collaboration with the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), brought together stakeholders, experts, and policymakers across Pakistan, a news release said. On the first day, the commissioners actively engaged with students, civil society organizations (CSOs), media representatives, advocates, and public information officers (PIOs) during a public event. Panel discussions addressed critical challenges related to the implementation of Right to Information (RTI) laws, commission orders, citizen expectations, PIO issues, GIZ-supported initiatives such as women’s facilitation and Khuli Kachehri sessions in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, aimed at improving public access to information. CPDI Executive Director Mukhtar Ahmad Ali underscored the importance of strong and empowered information commissions to uphold the RTI and ensure public access to information. He said vacancies since 2019 and 2018 had left crucial posts of two information commissioners (ICs) unfilled, disrupting the quorum in KP commissions, including Sindh and Pakistan Information Commission. “Additionally, the imminent conclusion of the Chief Information Commissioner’s term in Punjab further accentuates.
