NA speaker's ruling on employee records cannot restrict citizen's right to information, PIC rules
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has ruled that the National Assembly speaker’s decision to classify certain records cannot restrict citizens’ right to information (RTI) unless the ruling gives reasons showing that the harm from disclosure outweighs the public interest. The PIC issued the ruling while deciding two appeals filed by journalist Saddia Mazhar against the NA…
The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has ruled that the National Assembly speaker's decision to classify certain records cannot restrict citizens' right to information (RTI) unless the ruling provides reasons showing that the harm from disclosure outweighs the public interest. This decision came while the PIC was deciding two appeals filed by journalist Saddia Mazhar against the National Assembly Secretariat.
The National Assembly Secretariat had argued that minutes of meetings, official file notes, and recommendations relating to employees had been classified under the speaker's ruling of October 4, 2022. The PIC held that while the speaker could exercise powers under Section 7(f) of the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, such power was subject to statutory requirements.
The PIC concluded that the speaker's ruling failed to meet the legal criteria required for classification under Section 7(f) of the Act, and therefore could not operate to classify the records. The ruling also emphasized that the 2017 RTI Act takes precedence over inconsistent provisions contained in other laws.
Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
