ISLAMABAD: After toughening up the Right to Information Act 2014, a parliamentary panel in Pakistan has finalised the legislation, which will soon be placed before the federal cabinet for approval.
According to the final draft, the Pakistan Information Commission with powers of a civil court will be set up to ensure and oversee that the general public can have access to information from public bodies. Right to information is deemed a basic human right under international law and is guaranteed under Article 19A of the Constitution.
However, due to lack of any effective legislation, Pakistan is among a few countries in the world where there has never been a proper mechanism to acquire information from the public bodies. INTERNEWS
