ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians Secretary General Senator Farhatullah Babar has welcomed the order of the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) that information about recruitments in the apex court be provided to the citizen, Ahmad Mukhtar Ali, who had sought it over two years ago but had not been given, said a press release.

In a landmark order last week, the PIC said "if citizens' right of access to information in matters of public importance pertaining to superior judiciary is restricted on the grounds that it would impact its independence and core functions, the same grounds would be relevant in the case of all public institutions".

"Implementation of this order as well as the earlier order on June 2 to provide information about pension, perks, privileges, post retirement benefits and plots allotted in government schemes to judges will enhance, not detract from, the majesty of the law and the courts," Farhatullah Babar said in a statement today. Transparency and accountability along with rule of law are pillars of democracy and the order will strengthen these pillars of democracy, he said.

The order is also a bold declaration that independence of courts is their independence from the executive and not their independence from law itself. "Implementing the order will enhance, not detract from, the majesty of courts." Babar said that the order will also have a salutary effect on other organizations, particularly those run by the military, which have been refusing information not only to citizens but even to government auditors. He said that in the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the parliament last week it transpired that the National Logistics Cell (NLC) had even refused to give information to the Planning Commission about audit objections.

The meeting was told that the NLC failed to explain audit objections, did not observe procurement rules, did not safeguard public money and awarded contracts to single bidders without advertising it according to the rules. The secretary of the Planning Commission was so frustrated that he asked that the NLC be transferred and placed under some other ministry. This was a stinging indictment of the NLC but no one heeded, he said.

Babar expressed the hope that the Court will abide by the orders of the PIC, which also called for appointment of a Public Information Officer placing all relevant information placed on website as provided in the RTI law.-PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021