The enactment of Right to Information (RTI) Law has not only helped improve the quality of governance in the province but has also ensured integration of citizens in the governance.
This was stated by Farah Hamid Khan, Chief Information Commissioner (CIC), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Commission (KPIC) while addressing the participants of a dialogue on ‘Right to Information: Implementation Status, Challenges and Future Directions’ arranged by Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives in a local hotel at Islamabad.
CIC stated that the KPIC was determined to promote the use of information technology so that citizens could file their information requests through e-mails which was far more efficient system of receiving information from public bodies under the KPK RTI Act.
For this purpose, she said, the Commission had developed an ERTI system with the technical assistance of the IT Department/Board of the KP Government. She added that RTI Law had helped protect the public’s constitutional right to access information of public importance.
In doing so, the provincial government agenda on transparency and accountability could be achieved in letter and spirit.
She said that the Commission will commence a comprehensive training program on RTI law both for the Public Information Officers (PIOs) of the newly merged districts, students of the universities, Civil Society Organizations, journalists’ community and the elected representatives of the local bodies so as to raise their capacity to utilize the benefits of the RTI Law.
In this regard, first training shall commence in district Khyber on 22nd Aug 2022 followed by Orakzai, Kurram, North and South Waziristan.
The Commissioner KPIC also impressed upon the PIOS on the need for proper maintenance/indexation of public records and Pro-Active disclosure of information of public importance as required under Section 5 of the KPK RTI Act for ease in provision of data to the citizens.
