ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has called for early adoption of the Right to Information (RTI) Bill that has been lying in limbo since long despite its unanimous adoption by a Senate standing committee.

PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari said in a message issued here on the eve of the Press Freedom Day: “The fact that the RTI legislation had been finalised by the Senate committee almost a year ago but the government, despite promises, has not tabled it in parliament raises serious questions about the intent and motives of the government.”

He said PPP was deeply concerned over the impunity with which crimes had been committed against media persons and called for an effective institutional mechanism for their protection as well as for bringing the perpetrators of crimes against them to justice.

Read: Minister says cabinet to take up right to infomation bill in next meeting

“Freedom of the media is a foundational pillar of democracy, transparency and accountability that must not be allowed to be weakened because of the impunity of crimes against media persons,” Mr Zardari said.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2015

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