PRESS RELEASE

The Centre for Governance and Public Accountability (CGPA) has condemned the exemption of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from the purview of the Right to Information (Amendment) Bill 2015. 

According to handout issued on Wednesday, CGPA Executive Director Muhammad Anwar said the exemption of the Assembly from RTI law’s ambit was unacceptable. “The manner in which the amendment was introduced also violates the accepted norms of law-making,” read the handout issued on Wednesday.

“The amendment will cripple the effectiveness of the law.” It added, “The final version of the bill which was put to vote has not been provided to anybody and the last-minute addition was made to grant exemption to K-P Assembly from RTI law.” He urged the government to include the assembly and Peshawar High Court in the list of public bodies through which information can be requested under the law. Furthermore, CGPA also insisted the law should be extended to Provincially Administered Tribal Areas.