National Assembly paid lawyers Rs35m between 2022 and 2026 to keep lid on Right to Information requests

Between 2022 and 2026, the National Assembly Secretariat disbursed over Rs35 million to private lawyers to litigate against Right to Information (RTI) requests, according to data disclosed under the Pakistan Information Commission's order. The highest expenditure, Rs20.4 million, was incurred in FY2022-23 for eight lawyers. The National Assembly subsequently paid Rs2.64 million in 2023-24, Rs11.1 million in 2024-25, and Rs1.61 million in FY2025-26.

Ten special counsel were empaneled, including Hafiz S.A. Rehman, Irfan Qadir, and Ilyas Siddiqui, with individual payments ranging from Rs900,000 to Rs9.9 million. The litigation stemmed from appeals in RTI cases, with the Pakistan Information Commission issuing show-cause notices to the National Assembly Secretariat. The Secretariat subsequently challenged these notices in the Islamabad High Court.

While the revelation doesn't imply any wrongdoing, it raises concerns about fiscal responsibility, as the Attorney General for Pakistan and other federal law officers constitute the government’s official legal machinery.