RTI reforms urged to counter disinformation
ISLAMABAD:
The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has called on the government to undertake comprehensive legal reforms to strengthen the implementation of the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017.
In a policy brief titled 'Strengthening the Right to Information (RTI) in Pakistan', released on Sunday, FAFEN highlighted that while Pakistan's RTI framework is among the most progressive, its effectiveness has been hampered by institutional inertia, ambiguous legal provisions and weak enforcement mechanisms.
The shortcomings have prevented the law from achieving its intended goal of ensuring government transparency.
The absence of timely information about the actions, decisions and spending by public bodies breeds destabilising misinformation and disinformation.
"FAFEN strongly believes that strengthening the RTI legal framework will serve as a bulwark in the government's efforts to counter disinformation, which is deepening political polarisation in the country," FAFEN said.
As part of its ongoing "countering disinformation through information" campaign, FAFEN has already conducted an assessment of the websites of federal ministries and divisions, and found a low level of compliance with the provisions of the RTI Act, 2017.
Similar assessments are ongoing for provincial departments.
FAFEN said that greater independence and powers for the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) will enable it to effectively enforce the provisions of the law on public bodies, which is critical to enhance government transparency and counter disinformation.
In its policy brief, FAFEN urged the parliament to further strengthen the RTI legal framework by eliminating ambiguities and empowering the PIC to lead enforcement efforts rather than merely serving as an appellate forum.
Proposed amendments include specifying clear deadlines for proactive disclosures and the digitisation of records, broadening the scope of public records, reforming the process for the appointment and removal of information commissioners, and mandating public bodies to submit compliance reports on the Act's requirements to the PIC.
FAFEN recommends a more consultative approach to the appointment and removal of information commissioners through a bipartisan parliamentary committee with equal representation from the treasury and opposition.
Transferring these responsibilities away from executive control and ensuring the commission's financial independence through amendments to Section 21 would enable it to function as a more effective oversight body.
FAFEN's policy brief also stressed the need for public bodies to move beyond merely posting raw data online.
Instead, it recommended the PIC to establish standardised, user-friendly record-keeping formats and practices, including searchable databases, clear summaries, and intuitive indexes to enhance accessibility.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Express Tribune
Only 14% MNAs attend all sittings of 16th NA session
Two supplementary resolutions were adopted by the house which were about paying tributes to the sacrifices of the armed forces on Defence Day and condemning terrorism in Quetta and Mardan. PHOTO: FAFEN The 16th session of the National Assembly that spanned over 13 sittings between May 5 and 22, 2025, saw only 14% members making 100% attendance, while 9% of the members were absent during the entire session, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) said in its report on Thursday. Fafen is a civil society network focused on strengthening democracy. It said in its latest report that consistent with the previous sessions, female attendance was generally higher than that of their male counterparts during the session last month. "The highest attendance was recorded during the first sitting, with 237 members (76%) present. During this sitting, the House suspended its regular agenda to discuss the recent Pakistan-India conflict," the report said. The lowest attendance was recorded during the last sitting, with 174 members (55%) present. This sitting was initially adjourned after just 13 minutes because of the lack of quorum. The House reconvened after 15 minutes and passed The Off the Grid (Captive Power Plants) Levy Bill, 2025. Fafen said that 150 members of the National Assembly (MNAs) skipped sittings without advance leave request; 118 (44%) submitted a leave application, including 25 (21%) in advance and 37 (31%) applied ex-post facto after returning from their leave. It added that 268 members (86%) missed at least one sitting during the current session. The report said that 16 female MNAs, including 14 on reserved seats, attended all the sittings, while five female MNAs, including two on the reserved seats, recorded zero attendance. Region-wise, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad Capital Territory lawmakers recorded the highest percentage of MNAs attending more than half of the sittings, it said, adding that majority of lawmakers from the SIC, the PML-N, the JUI, and independents attended more than half of the sittings. A lack of ministerial presence weakened legislative oversight, Fafen said in the report. Among the 29 federal ministers, who were expected to be present during the Question Hour to respond to queries from lawmakers, only 15 (52%) were marked present during the sittings.
Business Recorder
6 days ago
- Business Recorder
PTI's rigging claims baseless, shameful: Azma
LAHORE: Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s claim of election rigging after suffering a clear defeat by 39,000 votes is extremely shameful and tantamount to denying reality. She stated that according to the FAFEN report, 116 polling agents expressed satisfaction with the electoral process. She added that the people of Sambrial have out rightly rejected and cast away the anti-state narrative of the PTI founder. She said that the people of Punjab now vote for and strongly support Maryam Nawaz's politics of public service, as the Pakistan Muslim League (N) is the only party with a genuine vision for development, stability, and public welfare. Responding to PTI leader Waqas Akram's press conference, Azma Bokhari stated that PTI faced a humiliating defeat in the Sambrial by-election. As per FAFEN's report, presiding officers duly provided Form 45 to polling agents, and out of 121 interviews conducted, 116 polling agents confirmed their satisfaction with the voting process. She noted that the vote share of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) in Sambrial increased from 41% to 59%, while PTI's vote share dropped from 35% to 29%. These statistics are enough to open the eyes of so-called intellectuals and analysts who continue to push PTI's narrative, she said, adding: 'Blaming the police and district administration instead of accepting defeat is a long-standing habit of PTI.' She reiterated that the people of Sambrial have firmly rejected the founder of PTI's anti-state rhetoric. The people of Punjab now vote for Maryam Nawaz's politics of service and continue to support it. This seat has always belonged to the PML(N), and it will remain unbeatable in the future as well, she added. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
03-06-2025
- Express Tribune
FAFEN gives Sialkot by-poll all clear
During a by-election at Sialkot PP-52 constituency on Sunday, observers belonging to the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) documented persistent instances of illegal campaigning near polling stations, isolated violations of voter identification, ballot processing, and counting procedures. In a three-page report issued on Tuesday, Fafen, however, noted that the general environment around polling stations remained largely peaceful on the polling day. PML-N's candidate Hina Arshad Warraich received the highest number of votes in the by-election held after the seat fell vacant because of the demise of her father Arshad Warraich. Both the PTI and the PPP had later accused the ruling party of using state machinery to win the polls. The report said the by-election was marked by a slight decrease in voter turnout and a reduction in the number of invalid votes compared to the 2024 General Elections amidst isolated procedural irregularities, including the disruption of the counting process by police officials at a polling station. Despite a decline in turnout – from 50% to 45% – the margin of victory increased significantly, from 8,535 votes in GE-2024 to 39,684 in the by-poll. The Provisional Consolidated Statement of the Results of Count (Form-47) was finalized at approximately 1:15 am, well within the legal deadline of 2:00 am. The report cited a particularly serious incident, in which a police contingent entered the premises of Polling Station No 169 when the count of ballots was underway. "They removed the party agents and observers present in the counting hall and took the election materials and polling staff away with them without waiting for the process to be completed. Fafen was unable to obtain a copy of the result of the count of the polling station for the by-election." The report noted that while voter turnout in the by-election was lower than in GE-2024, it was slightly higher than the turnout recorded in the recent NA-213 Umerkot by-election held in April 2025. Female voter turnout dropped from 47 percent in GE-2024 to 39 percent, while male turnout decreased from 53 percent to 50 percent in the by-election. "According to Form-47, the PML-N's vote share rose from 41 percent in GE-2024 to 59 percent in the by-election. The runner-up independent candidate, backed by PTI, saw his vote share decline from 35 percent to 29 percent." Fafen had deployed ten trained observers including seven men and three women, who observed voting and counting processes at 39 of the 185 polling stations established in the constituency. According to Fafen observers, around 79 percent of the observed polling stations had party's/candidate's camps in the close vicinity of polling stations while 85 percent polling stations had banners or flags of contesting candidates or parties displayed in their surroundings. The party camps around polling stations were also displaying campaign materials and distributing voter chits and food to visitors around 23 percent of the observed polling stations. Party-supported vehicles were seen providing transport to voters outside 46 percent of the observed polling stations. It said the polling officers were observed to be checking the National Identity Cards (NICs), marking the thumbs of the eligible voters with indelible ink, obtaining their thumb impressions on electoral rolls and striking off their names on the electoral rolls at almost all of the observed polling booths. "However, they were observed to be skipping to loudly call out the name of the voters so that the polling agents could know the identity of incoming voters and match it with their copy of electoral rolls at 49 percent of the observed polling booths," it added.
