Today, April 12, 2023, marks 50 years of the 1973 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Unfortunately, its perpetual violation is being committed by political parties and state institutions with impunity
The deleterious impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the operations of the Right to Information (RTI) Act has been much discussed in the last one year. We drew attention to it in several of our columns. We also highlighted the positive role it played in enhancing public awareness about the importance of the law during a crisis period. In today s column, we revert to its use in normal times.
Let s look at three examples from neighbouring India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka some more recent than others.
The Sri Lankan example stemmed from an RTI request filed by a local journalist, Chamara Sampath, who sought from the secretary general of the Parliament the list of Members of Parliament (MP) who had submitted Declaration of Assets and Liabilities during the years 2010-2018. The secretary general declined to release them, arguing that they were submitted confidentially by the MPs to the speaker, and he had no access to them. He also felt that the request infringed on the privileges of the Pa