Training workshop on Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act 2016: A Tool for Social Accountability & Civic Participation in Decision-Making
Venue: District Shaheed Benazirabad
Date: February 27, 2025

Transparency International Pakistan (TI Pakistan) in collaboration with the National Disability and Development Forum (NDF) organized a training workshop on Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act 2016: A Tool for Social Accountability & Civic Participation in Decision-Making on February 27, 2025. The workshop took place in district Shaheed Benazirabad, Sindh.

Around 60 people including 15 women, community members and person with disabilities participated in the training workshop. The workshop aimed to enhance the understanding of RTI among the citizens and persons with disabilities, as a tool for good governance, transparency, and accountability in public matters.

The workshop commenced with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Mr Tariq Hussain Channar, Program Manager NDF highlighted that the information is key to making informed decisions. Through access to information, citizens can contribute to developing transparent institutions. He further highlighted that there is lack of awareness about the right to information laws in the country, especially at the grassroot level and thanked TI Pakistan for organizing the workshop especially for the benefit of PWDs who can use RTI to demand their rights and hold government accountable.

Moving on, Mr Saad Aalam, Assistant Project Coordinator, TI Pakistan gave detailed presentation on Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act 2016, elaborating its various clauses, including the functions and powers of the Sindh Information Commission (SIC). He informed the participants that the right to information is enshrined in Article 19-A of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He said that any citizen can file an information request to the public bodies, addressing to the relevant Public Information Officer. The PIO is mandated to respond to the application within 15 days. The PIO can request an additional 10 days for furnishing the requested information. Information that is required to protect the life and liberty of an individual shall be provided within 3 days.

Furthermore, Mr. Saad emphasized that citizens have the right to file an application with the Sindh Information Commission, in an instance that the applicant is not satisfied with the provided information. The Commission is mandated to decide on the matter within forty-five days under Article 13. He further shared the Commission can impose a penalty on the designated PIO for refusing to provide information to citizens.

Afterwards, Ms. Asma Muneer Arain, General Secretary, NDF spoke on the issues faced by the PWDs and how RTI help empower citizens to seek redress for their problems through social accountability tools. She highlighted that PWDs face serious accessibility issues due to non-availability of conductive infrastructure. She highlighted that the local governments have failed to take such initiatives to make public spaces accessible and friendly to PWDs. Furthermore, female PWDs face dual discrimination and are more vulnerable to the violation of their rights. She underlined that by using RTI, PWDs can request information from the government regarding the projects corresponding to the needs of PWDs. This way, she said, people can highlight gaps and encourage the government to take constructive steps to facilitate PWDs.

Afterwards, Mr Asad Khattak, District Focal Person Right to Information, and Assistant Director Social Welfare Department, Government of Sindh explained the process of filing RTI requests with different departments. He highlighted that citizen can file RTI requests pertaining to service delivery issues and use information to demand action from the government. He emphasized that RTI gives voice to the citizens to highlight their concerns to the public bodies and promote accountable institutions.

Later on, participants worked in breakout groups to draft RTI applications. Participants were trained on the procedure of writing RTI requests and identifying relevant department for their information request. Participants were also informed that TI Pakistan’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) provides free legal advice to the victims and witnesses of corruption in the country including assisting citizens by providing guidance on RTI laws.

The training workshop concluded with community members, citizens, CSO representatives and PWDs expressing their gratitude to TI Pakistan for organizing the training workshop and highlighted the need for more similar trainings to enhance demand side of RTI implementation and usage in the country.