Ferchi

The preamble of the draft law states: "Whereas it is expedient to provide for transparency and freedom of information to ensure that the citizens of Punjab have improved access to public information and for the purpose to make the government of the Punjab more accountable". The Preamble should refer to Article 19-A of the Constitution and say that right to access to information is a fundamental right of all citizens and that the purpose of the Act is to facilitate implementation of this fundamental right. Democratic values and objectives must be embedded and promoted in laws being enacted by political governments both for symbolic and substantive reasons. Therefore, the preamble should also state that, in a democratic country, people need to remain informed about the functioning of their government in order to participate in decision making and hold the government accountable. Furthermore,Michael Kors Outlet, the law cannot be restricted to 'citizens of Punjab',Michael Kors Outlet, as it is a fundamental right of all citizens of Pakistan. Any restriction imposed on any citizen (irrespective of where he or she lives) would be in contravention of Article 19-A of the Constitution. It is not a matter of 'improved' access to public information; rather it is for the full implementation of a universally accepted human right and now (since 18th Amendment) a fundamental right under Article 19-A of the Constitution. Therefore, the words like 'more' accountable may be avoided in this context. Section 2(c) pertaining to the definition of public body needs to be revisited and its scope may be expanded to include all kinds of for-profit and not-for-profit non-governmental organisations that are working in Pakistan. Furthermore, the definition of information should also include the categories of information like agreement, feasibility report, inquiry reports, budget, official expenses,