Pakistan Information Commission seeks disclosure of travel allowances, perks and expenses of NA committees

The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has mandated the National Assembly Secretariat to disclose comprehensive details about expenditures, travel allowances, and privileges granted to chairpersons and members of parliamentary standing committees and subcommittees. This directive, issued by PIC Chair Ijaz Hassan Awan and Chief Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, stemmed from a petition filed by journalist Saddia Mazhar.

The PIC, in its order available on Dawn, gave the NA Secretariat's secretary 10 days to furnish precise answers to 13 queries under the Right of Access to Information Act 2017 (RTI Act).

Mazhar originally submitted her request on June 21, requesting comprehensive data on the parliamentary committees' functioning and financial outlays from January 2025. She sought lists of all standing and subcommittees, their meeting frequency, total expenses spent on meetings, allowances given to members and chairpersons, and a breakdown of additional perks, privileges, and payments made to lawmakers on these committees.

Upon receiving unsatisfactory responses from the NA Secretariat, Mazhar filed an appeal with the PIC on July 5.

The NA Secretariat's representative, Litigation Officer Sehrish Mushtaq, argued during the proceedings. While the Secretariat submitted responses, Mazhar contended that only the first question about the list of standing committees was sufficiently addressed. The PIC acknowledged the extensive information published online but noted that it did not fully respond to the journalist's specific queries.

The PIC emphasized that public institutions must offer clear and specific answers to information requests, even if the needed data is already available online.

Consequently, the PIC instructed the NA Secretary to deliver thorough and precise answers to questions 2 through 14 within ten days. A compliance review is set for November 19. Under Section 11 of the RTI Act, any Pakistani citizen can submit requests to any public body, clearly identifying the information sought and providing a complete address and contact details for information delivery.