Failur­e causin­g erodin­g transp­arency and accoun­tabili­ty in the countr­yISLAMABAD: The government has failed in dispensing citizens with their right to access of information which is leading to eroding transparency and accountability in Pakistan. The was the crux of a study focusing on the breach of Article 19-A of the Constitution that guarantees access to information by the state to its citizens, as well as, the Federal Right of Access to Information Act, 2017. It was found that all federal ministries had performed poorly in complying with the act, resulting in impeding transparency, accountability and access to information. Seventeen of the total 46 federal ministries functional between the last day of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government and start of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led regime did not even have websites in this regard. The study, conducted by the Islamabad-based Institute of Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA), has been released on the eve of International Day for Universal Access to Information (IUDAI), which is globally commemorated every year on September 28.

Source: The Express Tribune September 27, 2018 18:00 UTC