PRESS RELEASE

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Right to Public Services Act 2013 will bring improvements in public service delivery, Right to Services Commission Chief Hanif Orakzai said on Monday.

Orakzai was addressing a seminar organized jointly by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Services Commission and Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA). 

Arif Yousaf, adviser to the KP chief minister on law, was the chief guest. He said that it was the success of the PTI-led coalition government in KP to bring legislation for improvement in public service delivery and good governance. 

“It is the prime agenda of the KP government to legislate such laws which will improve transparency and accountability in the functioning of state functionaries,” he said. He also said that the KP government has passed 30 laws so far which was a record in the legislative history of KP. 

KP Chief Secretary Amjad Ali Khan expressed that the law would bring accountability and smooth implementation of services by the district government departments, which would also ensure the accessibility of services in an easy and fastest way to the citizens. He said that access to public services was one of the basic human rights and the KP government was committed to providing the required services at the doorsteps.

Azmat Orakzai gave a detailed presentation on the law. He said that the law was enacted in January 2014 to ensure the delivery of public services to the KP residents within the stipulated time. The RTS commission has designated 15 district monitoring assistants (DMAs) at the district level. The DMA will monitor the performance of public service providers at the district level. He said that five public services have so far notified as essential services; which are obtaining documents of land (fard); domicile certificate; building plan; registration of birth/death certificate; and registration of FIRs. He said that rules of business under the law have already been notified. 

CGPA Executive Director Muhammad Anwar presented the link between good governance and stabilization. He said that all Malakand comprehensive stabilization and socio-economic development strategy of the KP government and Post Crises Needs Assessment (PCNA) clearly indicate the link between militancy and service delivery. He said that if the government wanted to improve law and order, the first pre-requite was to improve public service delivery. 

Zahid Abdullah, a right to information expert, linked the Right to Information Act with Right to Public Services Act and said that the KP government has commitment to bring good laws and now it was the responsibility of people to ensure the implementation of these laws at their best.

A brief question and answers session was also held at the end of the seminar.