The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed 'The Public Interest Disclosure Bill 2017' to ensure protection to whistle blowers who disclose any information in public interest. The bill, which has already been passed by the National Assembly, was presented in Senate by law and justice minister Zahid Hamid.
The Public Interest Disclosure Bill, 2017 tackles certain contemporary issues related to modern-day economic crimes, including money-laundering, fraud, embezzlement, kickbacks, commission and other forms of corruption and corrupt practices which have become increasingly complex and therefore difficult to investigate and prosecute.
The bill states that persons called whistle-blowers who disclose information relating to crimes for public interest often are subjected to retaliation in the form of discrimination, intimidation, abuse, unjust disciplinary action, and even threats of physical harm to them and their families.
The objects and reasons of the bill emphasize on the importance of such persons and stressed that the protection of these people who have reported wrongdoings in good acts of faith should be of vital importance. Their security is integral to the fight against corruption, to promote public section integrity and accountability and to support a clean working environment.
Highlighting salient features of the bill, Law Minister Zahid Hamid said that the bill had been introduced to ensure protection to people who play the role of a whistle blower if they see some wrongdoing, corruption etc, damage to public interest, as it will be helpful to eradicate menace of corruption.
"The government has zero tolerance for corruption and its elimination is one of its foremost objectives hence the protection of persons making public interest disclosures especially in corruption cases is a major concern of the government," the bill further stated.
The term disclosure was defined in the bill as an act of willfully misusing power or willfully misusing discretion because of which considerable loss is caused to the government or substantial wrongful gain accrues to the public servant or third party.
Furthermore it is the revealing of a commission of or an attempt to commit an offence of corruption or corrupt practice as defined in the NAB Ordinance 1999 or any other offence committed through electronic mail or device.
The proposed bill allows disclosure to be made by any person before a competent authority if it is in public interest.
However under section 6 of the bill, disclosure on the matters that affect sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan; the security, strategic or economic interests of the country and relations with foreign states is prohibited.
The law minister also presented the annual report for 2016-17 of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) board of directors' report on state of country's economy, on behalf of the finance minister, required under section 9A(2) of SBP Act, 1956.