Afghanistan citizens urged to benefit from RTI law
24 Oct, 2014A seminar was organised at the Edwardes College Peshawar (Afghanistan) on the right to information to create awareness among students, teachers and other employees about the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa RTI Act, 2013. The RTI chief information commissioner Sahibzada Mohammad Khalid, information commissioner Professor Kalimullah, Abdul Matin, Commissioner of the RTI commission and noted academicians including Professor Javed Hayat and Professor Nasir Iqbal participated in the event. It was arranged to enlighten students about the importance of the RTI law in checking corruption and ensuring transparency in public-funded departments.
Professor Kalimullah, the Information Commissioner of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa RTI Commission, said the province was the first in the country to introduce the law to bring about accountability in governance. He said the RTI law was the need of the hour and fulfills the long standing demand of the people. It has been introduced in the province to introduce a transparent system for getting access to information. He asked the participants “For the welfare of the society, you should inform others about the importance of the RTI law and its importance in making a good society.”
Abdul Matin, Commissioner of the RTI commission said nobody could dare to disobey the provincial law on the right to information. He added that the act would bridge the gap between the rulers and the ruled. Pointing to the provisions of the act, he said that it has all the provisions to assist the public. He said that despite resistance from some quarters, the act has functioned well and no request for information had been turned down in the province. He proudly claimed “I am not disappointed as for nine months, we have successfully obtained information from government departments that the applicants have requested.”
The seminar witnessed active participation by students, teachers and others. The speakers highlighted the importance of the RTI law and urged the people to benefit from the provincial government’s commission on the right to information which was meant to empower the people and eliminate corruption from public institutions. The importance of the rule of law for maintaining peace and harmony and the role of transparency in establishing the rule of law was discussed.