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Shahbaz, PML-N failed to keep promises on info rights law
Contrary to his pre-election commitment that the Right to Information (RTI) law will be the first legislation to be passed by the Punjab Assembly, the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has failed to translate his promise into reality in the first 100 days of his government.
In contrast, seven bills introduced by the Shahbaz Sharif government have been passed by the assembly, including the legislation for a university named after the prime minister: the Nawaz Sharif Agriculture University in Multan bill 2013.
Shahbaz assured on March 16 this year, shortly after he stepped down giving charge to the caretaker administration, that the RTI law was his first priority.Mark my words. This will be the first law approved from the Punjab Assembly if we form the next government, Shahbaz Sharif said with reference to the RTI law in a telephonic conversation with The News when asked about inordinate delay. A story carrying his words was published in The News on March 17 with this headline: Shahbaz promises right to information law as first priority.
As he was also CM in the previous term, no significant progress was noted. A draft was made in 2010 but approved in the last cabinet meeting Shahbaz had chaired before stepping down in 2013, letting it die its own death as there was no assembly to pass it.
The Punjab government had advertised a draft RTI law seeking public feedback on it short before Eid-ul-Azha in an apparent attempt to settle score with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government that announced to promulgate it through an ordinance before its formal passage from the provincial assembly.
Now the KPs RTI law is functional but Shahbaz Sharif does not seem to be in hurry regardless of the word committed by him.Meanwhile, the Punjab government had pushed through the assembly seven drafts, passing them into law by a two-thirds majority amid hue and cry from the opposition over controversial bill like that of Local Governments.
Other laws introduced by Shahbaz Sharif government and subsequently passed are Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Bill, The Punjab Animal Slaughter Control (Amendment) Bill, The Punjab Police Order (Amendment) Bill, The Punjab Service Tribunal (Amendment) Bill and The Punjab Finance Bill.
Caretaker CM Najam Sethi had tried to introduce RTI legislation through an ordinance but it was later left to be done by the elected government that is shying away from introducing it. RTI law is part of Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed by late Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif; however, neither party took serious steps for keeping its promise.
The PML-N government at the federal level also caused serious disappointment to RTI activists by proposing a weak and toothless draft law before the Senate Committee on Information and Broadcasting drawing representation from PPP, PML-Q and others. The Senate committee subsequently passed it and announced to table it as a consensus multi-bill in the Senate without caring for public feedback.
Although major political parties leave no opportunity to criticise Musharraf for all the blunders amid promises to rectify the wrongs committed in the dictatorial regime, the draft law passed by the Senate committee is a replica of Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 promulgated by the former military ruler.
Shahbaz, PML-N failed to keep promises on info rights law - thenews.com.pk
pmln should introduce this law, transparency is key to accountability !!
Contrary to his pre-election commitment that the Right to Information (RTI) law will be the first legislation to be passed by the Punjab Assembly, the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has failed to translate his promise into reality in the first 100 days of his government.
In contrast, seven bills introduced by the Shahbaz Sharif government have been passed by the assembly, including the legislation for a university named after the prime minister: the Nawaz Sharif Agriculture University in Multan bill 2013.
Shahbaz assured on March 16 this year, shortly after he stepped down giving charge to the caretaker administration, that the RTI law was his first priority.Mark my words. This will be the first law approved from the Punjab Assembly if we form the next government, Shahbaz Sharif said with reference to the RTI law in a telephonic conversation with The News when asked about inordinate delay. A story carrying his words was published in The News on March 17 with this headline: Shahbaz promises right to information law as first priority.
As he was also CM in the previous term, no significant progress was noted. A draft was made in 2010 but approved in the last cabinet meeting Shahbaz had chaired before stepping down in 2013, letting it die its own death as there was no assembly to pass it.
The Punjab government had advertised a draft RTI law seeking public feedback on it short before Eid-ul-Azha in an apparent attempt to settle score with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government that announced to promulgate it through an ordinance before its formal passage from the provincial assembly.
Now the KPs RTI law is functional but Shahbaz Sharif does not seem to be in hurry regardless of the word committed by him.Meanwhile, the Punjab government had pushed through the assembly seven drafts, passing them into law by a two-thirds majority amid hue and cry from the opposition over controversial bill like that of Local Governments.
Other laws introduced by Shahbaz Sharif government and subsequently passed are Muhammad Nawaz Sharif University of Agriculture Bill, The Punjab Animal Slaughter Control (Amendment) Bill, The Punjab Police Order (Amendment) Bill, The Punjab Service Tribunal (Amendment) Bill and The Punjab Finance Bill.
Caretaker CM Najam Sethi had tried to introduce RTI legislation through an ordinance but it was later left to be done by the elected government that is shying away from introducing it. RTI law is part of Charter of Democracy (CoD) signed by late Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif; however, neither party took serious steps for keeping its promise.
The PML-N government at the federal level also caused serious disappointment to RTI activists by proposing a weak and toothless draft law before the Senate Committee on Information and Broadcasting drawing representation from PPP, PML-Q and others. The Senate committee subsequently passed it and announced to table it as a consensus multi-bill in the Senate without caring for public feedback.
Although major political parties leave no opportunity to criticise Musharraf for all the blunders amid promises to rectify the wrongs committed in the dictatorial regime, the draft law passed by the Senate committee is a replica of Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 promulgated by the former military ruler.
Shahbaz, PML-N failed to keep promises on info rights law - thenews.com.pk
pmln should introduce this law, transparency is key to accountability !!
