ISLAMABAD: Joint Opposition introduced its own Right to Information Bill 2016 as a private piece of legislation in the Senate after having waited for the government’s promised initiative for three years.
The Right to Information Bill, 2016 was tabled by Kamil Ali Agha, Rubina Irfan, Farhatullah Babar, Karim Khawaja and Daud Achakzai for a rapid and low-cost manner subject only to reasonable restrictions established by law.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha said that provinces had already passed such bills.
Farhatullah Babar was of the views that access to information was fundamental right of the citizen under Article 19A. All the four provinces have already implemented right to information, bills he added.
The bill, cleared by the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting in 2014, has considerably minimised exemptions to certain state institutions and also has a provision for the whistle-blower.
The draft bill is on the orders of the day, fixed for November 21 and its movers are Kamil Ali Agha, Rubina Irfan, Farhatullah Babar, Karim Khawaja and Daud Achakzai.
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb apprised the Senate that the Right to Information Bill 2016 had been approved by the cabinet and would be introduced in the National Assembly shortly.
Opposing the private member bill The Right to Information Bill 2016 moved by Kamil Ali Agha and others, she said impression was being given that the government was not doing work on the bill.
However, she said that the draft of the bill had been prepared with the spirit to bring improvement in access to information.
The minister said the government had been working on the bill for the last 11 months adding that consultations were made with all the stakeholders.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said the prime minister had constituted a five members committee consisting of parliamentarians to review the proposed bill.
The bill was thoroughly reviewed compared with other countries and provinces and then was referred to Law Division. The minister said that the draft of the bill had been prepared on the basis of the proposals given by the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting.
She assured the House that recommendations given by the Senate would also be incorporated in the bill to make it flawless. Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani referred the bill to the select committee of the Senate for further deliberation as the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting had already approved it.
