ISLAMABAD: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has revealed that most federal ministries and their divisions are not meeting the proactive disclosure requirements mandated by the Right of Access to Information Act (RTI), 2017.
This shortfall, FAFEN warned, fosters the spread of misinformation and disinformation. It highlighted that a lack of timely and authentic information on public bodies and their functions could inadvertently fuel such issues, particularly on social media, undermining the credibility of government institutions.
FAFEN stressed that proactive information disclosure via technology must be prioritized instead of relying exclusively on legislative and regulatory actions to curb misinformation, which could be misused. Such measures, it stated, could counter misinformation effectively while improving transparency and public trust.
According to FAFEN’s evaluation of the websites of 40 divisions across 33 ministries, none fully complied with the RTI Act’s requirements for online information disclosure as outlined under Article 19-A of the Constitution. Over one-third of the ministries also failed to respond to information requests as stipulated by the law.
The assessment, conducted from April to June 2024, evaluated compliance using Section 5 of the RTI Act, which covers public body overviews, reports, services, personnel details, policies, decision-making processes, financial information, and information access mechanisms.
The division-wise analysis showed significant compliance disparities. The Cabinet Division and the Inter-Provincial Coordination Division ranked highest, achieving 42 percent compliance with Section 5 of the RTI Act.
Fifteen divisions fell within the compliance range of 31 percent to 40 percent. Among these, six divisions Establishment, Petroleum, National Heritage & Culture, Revenue, Interior, Planning & Development, and Special Initiatives achieved 38 percent compliance each. Meanwhile, seven divisions Commerce, Communications, Federal Education & Professional Training, Foreign Affairs, Privatization, Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony, and Water Resources reported 35 per cent compliance each.
Thirteen divisions fell within the 21 to 30 percent compliance range. These included Aviation, Defence, Defence Production, Economic Affairs, Power, Human Rights, Law and Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, Railways, and Science and Technology divisions, all at 27 percent compliance. The Finance, Industries and Production, and National Food Security and Research divisions scored the lowest at 23 percent.
