Awareness Seminar on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act 2013 Held

Peshawar: Aug 13, 2014: Prof Kaleem Ullah, Commissioner Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Commission said that RTI is to strengthen the citizens and citizens should own it. He was speaking in a seminar organized by Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA) in District Press Club in Kohat on Wednesday. 

Mr. Zai Ullah Bangash, Member of Provincial Assembly stated that the law makes the elected representatives and public bodies accountable to the citizens, therefore its importance for democracy can’t be overlooked. He stressed that citizens should actively practice their Right to Information by information requests to public bodies.

Members of civil society organizations, Journalists, Lawyers & public officials attended the seminar. Muhammad Anwar, Executive Director CGPA shared salient features of the law and explained how affective the use of RTI Act is for the accountability of the government employees. He shared the process of filing information request to the public body. He stated that there is no need to submit fee or show reason for filing of information request. 

Prof Kaleem Ullah, the chief guest of the seminar, explained about the structure of the commission as well as the process of filing complaints and the role and responsibilities of the commission. Prof Kaleem Ullah stated that all provincial public bodies or those institutions performing public functions can be accessed for the right to information under the law. He stated that the information commission is fully prepared to ensure citizens constitution rights as determined by the law. The use of RTI Act will make us honorable as well as respectable citizens and this Act should be used by every citizen, Prof Kaleem Ullah concluded.