Do we need information commissions?
The conclusions of the above study regarding the performance of the Information Commissions can be summed up as follows.
The Commissions: a) frequently caused long delays in appeals, often extending beyond two months; b) showed tendencies to favour public bodies, either as a gesture of appeasement or perhaps under political influence; c) were extremely reluctant to penalise public bodies; d) often delayed cases due to their own bureaucratic working processes; e) failed to learn from the best practices and technologies used by Information Commissions in other developing countries; and f) often became just another roadblock of endless paperwork, without delivering meaningful results.
The overarching tendency to be politically correct has restrained a serious discussion on the performance of the Information Commissions. What started as a breath of fresh air has now devolved into a mere ceremonial facade for maintaining the status quo. The Information Commissions continue to operate modern knowledge-based organisations by the 18th century clerical methods. Scores of appeals are returned because an applicant did not make a statement to the effect that there was no litigation against the public body or that a copy of the CNIC was not sent. Such needless and outdated bureaucratic requirements lead to delays, squander time and drain public funds. There are scores of cases which were unilaterally closed by the Information Commissions, even when NO information was provided to the applicant. Perhaps their inability to influence the public bodies to proactively display information has been one of their biggest failures.
Pakistan ought to seriously revisit the entire RTI process. Should the existing Information Commissions be retained or replaced by more effective alternate mechanisms? There is enough data to suggest that they are poorly functioning, toothless and only add delays without consequences for non-compliance. They have thus been reduced to become symbolic (and costly) institutions to protect bureaucratic inertia. However, rather than abolish the Information Commissions, it may be best to first try the following package of reforms.
Begin by digitising the entire process of information provision, from the receipt of a complaint till the provision of information. Make the entire process of all appeals transparent and accessible to the public on each Information Commission's website. There should be no requirement of a retired judge or a retired bureaucrat to be on the panel of Commissioners. These posts must be advertised and filled by tech-savvy executives with experience of working in modern digital organisations.
Establish self-executing deadlines that automatically initiate, without any human interaction, notices, warnings and penalties when public bodies delay or refuse to comply. Likewise set automatic penalties for delay by Information Commissions if they fail to ensure provision of information within 60 days. Require each public body to proactively disclose on its website a defined minimum list of information. The Information Commissions should be made free of all papers, files and clerical staff. The Commissioners must themselves input all data and responses on their laptops, which are simultaneously and publicly accessible to all. The current wasteful practice of Information Commissions printing hundreds of copies of glossy annual reports and distributing them to VIPs (who would never bother to read them) should be stopped. Instead, a built-in programme should assemble the necessary data and compile a one-page summary of performance that is displayed on the website of each information Commission.
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Business Recorder
08-07-2025
- Business Recorder
Naqvi assures KCCI: Efforts will be made to help UAE visa issue
KARACHI: Federal Minister for Interior & Narcotics Control, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, while acknowledging the growing concern over widespread visa rejections particularly by the UAE, informed that he would meet the UAE Interior Minister the day after tomorrow to discuss the matter and expressed optimism that a resolution would be reached, especially considering the challenges faced by Pakistani citizens, notably members of the business community who frequently travel to the UAE for trade and business engagements. He added that steps are also being taken to improve the global ranking of the Pakistani passport, which, he assured, would reach a significantly better position in the next two years, making Pakistanis proud of holding the green passport. Speaking at a meeting of Karachi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), the Interior Minister mentioned that Muharram was observed peacefully this year across Pakistan thanks to the efforts of Rangers, Civil Armed Forces, the Pakistan Army, and provincial governments. He noted a significant shift in strategy this year, with minimal mobile service suspension, limited only to specific sensitive areas, unlike previous years when blanket bans were imposed citywide. He assured that efforts are underway to make Karachi healthier, as a strong Karachi will positively impact the entire country. Addressing budget-related issues raised by KCCI, he committed to supporting their resolution and arranging meetings for deeper deliberation in this regard. Highlighting anti-smuggling efforts, he said that smuggling, once rampant, even of dollars, has been significantly curtailed over the past two years, though some challenges remain. He emphasized that smuggling is a 'termite' eating away at the economy, hindering industrial growth. The Pakistan Coast Guard (PCG), previously operating with only six boats along a 1,000+ km coastline, has been given two more boats, with plans to expand further by year-end. He stressed the need for better infrastructure and equipment to enable effective border security and anti-smuggling operations. Responding to KCCI's request regarding provision of CNIC and SIM verification at KCCI, the Minister noted that the Interior Ministry already has a setup in place and another is being developed. He assured that they will explore ways to provide KCCI access to this system for background checks before employment, enhancing security for the business community. Regarding the Safe City Project, the Minister reiterated that it is a top priority of the Prime Minister; as such systems are essential for crime prevention. Work on implementing this project in Karachi is underway, and every effort will be made to ensure its effective execution in the city to help reduce crime. In response to concerns over rising narcotics use, the Minister invited KCCI to collaborate with the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) to establish a rehabilitation center for 300 drug addicts, aiming to reintegrate them into society. He acknowledged that while crime in Karachi has not been entirely eliminated, the Sindh Police deserves credit for a notable reduction in criminal activity. 'Given Karachi's size and complexity, complete eradication is a challenge, but significant progress has been made', he added. On encroachments, the Minister stated that work is ongoing but emphasized the need for stricter laws, harsher punishments, and heavy fines to effectively address the issue and achieve meaningful results. Chairman BMG Zubair Motiwala, while highlighting encroachment as one of the most pressing issues in Karachi, stated that despite efforts by Rangers, the situation continues to deteriorate, with KCCI receiving increasing complaints about land grabbing and illegal occupation, yet no significant improvement has been observed. He noted that citizens have again started facing considerable difficulties in lodging FIRs, thanks to the strong re-eruption of the SHO culture, with instances of arbitrary arrests. To address this, he urged the Interior Minister to form special inspection teams that conduct surprise night visits to police stations to check for detentions made without FIRs. He also emphasized the urgent need for police reforms, pointing out that promotion from ASI to Sub-Inspector and SHO are often not based on merit, education, or performance. Salaries must also be revised upward to promote honesty and integrity within the police force. Motiwala proposed that the Ministry of Interior depute a liaison officer at KCCI, empowered to receive confidential complaints from the business community, similar to the arrangement made by former Interior Minister Rehman Malik. While acknowledging some improvement in law and order compared to previous years, he stressed that street crimes and snatching remain prevalent and must be tackled more effectively. He termed Karachi's water crisis as the most critical issue, noting that neither the general public nor industries are receiving adequate water. The K-IV project, Karachi's lifeline, has been redesigned 11 times but still remains incomplete. He pointed out that an estimated 250 MGD of water could be diverted through K-IV in its first phase to meet the city's dire needs, instead of being wasted and discharged into the sea. 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He requested that the NADRA Executive Center at KCCI be equipped with CNIC verification and criminal background check facilities to assist businesses in hiring individuals with clean records. Additionally, a SIM verification facility should be provided to help identify numbers registered under specific CNICs and prevent misuse of identity information. Bilwani also expressed concern over the ineffective functioning of the Anomaly Committee, where valuable feedback from members was ignored and proper procedures were not followed. He warned that such neglect may harm business activity, increase unemployment, and worsen law and order. He also sought the Interior Minister's advocacy in shifting exporters back to the Final Tax Regime, warning that the high cost of doing business under the Normal Tax Regime could damage exports. Lastly, he raised alarm over the growing drug problem in schools and colleges, particularly the use of 'ice.' He called for strict action against traffickers and offered KCCI's full support in addressing this issue. Vice Chairman BMG Anjum Nisar, Senior Vice President Zia ul Arfeen, Vice President Faisal Khalil Ahmed, Chairman Law & Order Subcommittee Akram Rana, former Presidents Majyd Aziz, Younus Muhammad Bashir, Junaid Makda, Muhammad Idrees, Tariq Yousuf, Iftikhar Ahmed Sheikh, and other KCCI Managing Committee members and other attended the meeting. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
07-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Naqvi vows to address UAE visa problem
Federal Minister for Interior and Narcotics Control Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, while acknowledging concerns over widespread visa rejections, particularly by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced that he will meet the UAE interior minister on Wednesday to discuss the matter. He expressed optimism that a solution would be found, especially considering the challenges faced by Pakistani citizens, notably the business community, which frequently travels to the Gulf Arab nation for trade and business engagements. He added that steps are also being taken to improve the global ranking of the Pakistani passport, which, he stressed, would reach a significantly better position in the next two years, making Pakistanis proud of holding the green passport. During his visit to the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on Monday, Mohsin Naqvi was received by Businessmen Group (BMG) Chairman Zubair Motiwala, KCCI President Muhammad Jawed Bilwani and other prominent businessmen. The interior minister mentioned that Muharram was observed peacefully this year across Pakistan, thanks to the efforts of Rangers, civil armed forces, the Pakistan Army and provincial governments. He noted a significant shift in strategy this year, with minimal mobile service suspension, limited only to specific sensitive areas, unlike previous years when blanket bans were imposed citywide. He assured businessmen that efforts are underway to make Karachi healthier as a strong city will positively impact the entire country. Addressing budget-related issues raised by KCCI, he agreed to work for their resolution and arrange meetings for deeper deliberations. Highlighting anti-smuggling efforts, he said that smuggling, once rampant, even of dollars, has been significantly curtailed over the past two years, though some challenges remain. He emphasised that smuggling is a "termite" eating away at the economy, hindering industrial growth. The Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG), previously operating with only six boats along a 1,000+ km coastline, has been given two more boats, with plans to expand the fleet further by year-end. He stressed the need for better infrastructure and equipment to enable effective border security and anti-smuggling operations. Responding to KCCI's request regarding provision of CNIC and SIM verification at the chamber premises, the minister noted that the interior ministry already has a setup in place and another is being developed. He assured businessmen that they will explore ways to provide KCCI access to this system for background checks before employment, enhancing security for the business community. Regarding the Safe City project, the minister reiterated that it is a top priority of the prime minister as such systems are essential for crime prevention. Work on implementing this project in Karachi is underway and every effort will be made to ensure its effective execution to help reduce crime.
Express Tribune
30-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Do we need information commissions?
Over the last two decades, I have frequently used the Right to Information (RTI) law and interacted with the RTI commissions in Pakistan. This article is based on a collective study of over 200 RTI requests and their subsequent appeals made to RTI commissions by citizens seeking legitimate information from public bodies. The aim was to understand the extent to which the Information Commissions uphold the citizens' right to information and their ability to ensure compliance when the public bodies fail to provide the requested information. The conclusions of the above study regarding the performance of the Information Commissions can be summed up as follows. The Commissions: a) frequently caused long delays in appeals, often extending beyond two months; b) showed tendencies to favour public bodies, either as a gesture of appeasement or perhaps under political influence; c) were extremely reluctant to penalise public bodies; d) often delayed cases due to their own bureaucratic working processes; e) failed to learn from the best practices and technologies used by Information Commissions in other developing countries; and f) often became just another roadblock of endless paperwork, without delivering meaningful results. The overarching tendency to be politically correct has restrained a serious discussion on the performance of the Information Commissions. What started as a breath of fresh air has now devolved into a mere ceremonial facade for maintaining the status quo. The Information Commissions continue to operate modern knowledge-based organisations by the 18th century clerical methods. Scores of appeals are returned because an applicant did not make a statement to the effect that there was no litigation against the public body or that a copy of the CNIC was not sent. Such needless and outdated bureaucratic requirements lead to delays, squander time and drain public funds. There are scores of cases which were unilaterally closed by the Information Commissions, even when NO information was provided to the applicant. Perhaps their inability to influence the public bodies to proactively display information has been one of their biggest failures. Pakistan ought to seriously revisit the entire RTI process. Should the existing Information Commissions be retained or replaced by more effective alternate mechanisms? There is enough data to suggest that they are poorly functioning, toothless and only add delays without consequences for non-compliance. They have thus been reduced to become symbolic (and costly) institutions to protect bureaucratic inertia. However, rather than abolish the Information Commissions, it may be best to first try the following package of reforms. Begin by digitising the entire process of information provision, from the receipt of a complaint till the provision of information. Make the entire process of all appeals transparent and accessible to the public on each Information Commission's website. There should be no requirement of a retired judge or a retired bureaucrat to be on the panel of Commissioners. These posts must be advertised and filled by tech-savvy executives with experience of working in modern digital organisations. Establish self-executing deadlines that automatically initiate, without any human interaction, notices, warnings and penalties when public bodies delay or refuse to comply. Likewise set automatic penalties for delay by Information Commissions if they fail to ensure provision of information within 60 days. Require each public body to proactively disclose on its website a defined minimum list of information. The Information Commissions should be made free of all papers, files and clerical staff. The Commissioners must themselves input all data and responses on their laptops, which are simultaneously and publicly accessible to all. The current wasteful practice of Information Commissions printing hundreds of copies of glossy annual reports and distributing them to VIPs (who would never bother to read them) should be stopped. Instead, a built-in programme should assemble the necessary data and compile a one-page summary of performance that is displayed on the website of each information Commission.
