ISLAMABAD: The Free and Fair Elections Network (FAFEN) has revealed that most federal ministries and their departments do not meet the proactive disclosure requirements imposed by the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2017.
Favin warned that this shortage promotes the spread of misinformation and disinformation. She stressed that the lack of reliable and timely information about public bodies and their functions could inadvertently fuel such issues, especially on social media, undermining the credibility of government institutions.
Favin stressed that proactive disclosure of information through technology should be a priority rather than relying exclusively on legislative and regulatory measures to limit false information, which can be misused. He stated that such measures can effectively counter misinformation while improving transparency and public trust.
According to FAFEN’s assessment of the websites of 40 departments in 33 ministries, none of them fully complied with the RTI Act requirements for disclosure of online information as set out in Article 19-A of the Constitution. More than a third of ministries also failed to respond to information requests as stipulated in the law.
The assessment, which was conducted from April to June 2024, assessed compliance using Section 5 of the RTI Act, which covers overviews of public bodies, reports, services, personnel details, policies, decision-making processes, financial information and information access mechanisms.
Department-level analysis showed large variations in compliance. The Cabinet Department and the Inter-Provincial Coordination Department ranked first, achieving 42 percent compliance with Section 5 of the RTI Act.
Fifteen departments fell within the 31 percent to 40 percent compliance range. Of these six departments, namely: Corporation, Petroleum, National Heritage and Culture, Revenue, Interior, Planning and Development, and Special Initiatives, achieved 38% compliance each. Meanwhile, seven departments of Commerce, Communications, Federal Education and Vocational Training, Foreign Affairs, Privatization, Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, and Water Resources each reported 35 percent compliance.
Thirteen departments fall within the 21 to 30 percent compliance range. These departments included Aviation, Defence, Defense Production, Economic Affairs, Energy, Human Rights, Law and Justice, Parliamentary Affairs, Railways and Science and Technology, with a compliance rate of 27 per cent. The Finance, Industries, Production, National Food Security and Research departments recorded the lowest level at 23 percent.