Right to Information Ordinance 2008
Since 2002, the civil society group has been persistently demanding the adoption of"right to information" legislation in the country. Of late, the present caretaker government has responded to their claim and initiated the process. My humble submission, in this regard, would be very simple. Instead of incorporating 27 Sections/Articles in the Ordinance only three Articles would suffice the purpose. These are as follows:
1. The Ordinance nullifies, from the date of its enactment, the provisions of the Evidence Act of 1872; Code of Criminal Procedure of 1898; Official Secrets Act of 1923; and the Government Servants (conduct) Rules 1979 that are related to the disclosure of information by public officials to any individuals who might be seeking the same.
2. Every individual official, both public and private, will be disseminating information to the public whenever it is claimed by the latter; violation of which will be subject to specific punishment/penalty determined by the court of law.
3. Subjects mentioned in the red list or classified documents will remain outside the access of the public as long as such official restriction persists.
The above articles could be elaborated by incorporating some technical points for further clarification.
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