Freedom of Information Act -Sania Nishtar

Sania Nishtar is crying out loud for an issue that needs attention. One cannot think of having a sustainable democracy in the country without these:

* A resurgent judiciary that only talks, but also clears the Everest of backlog, is seen to provide justice efficiently, quickly and without bias.

* Reformed law enforcement agencies in towns and cities. Police bias, inefficiency, corruption and ineptitude is legendary and forces the people to view them as enemies of people not as government servants out there to serve the people

* A spineless Freedom on Information Act is already on the books. Time to give it claws so the people can use it effectively to keep the administration and establishment, including the government, judiciary and parliamentarians on their toes.

Freedom of information — oxygen of democracy - Dr Sania Nishtar - A number of civil society organisations have drawn attention to the need for strengthening Pakistan’s existing Freedom of Information (FOI) legislative framework on September 28 —the Right to Know Day... It has to do with access to information and disclosure, which can enable public discourse in larger national interest on issues of
governance. FOI has been described as the ‘oxygen of democracy’ by Article 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression... However, it must be recognised that FOI is not an end in itself, but a means of improving governance. In that respect, it is just part of a holistic approach that needs to be fully institutionalised.