ISLAMABAD: Informa­tion Minister Pervaiz Rashid assured a Senate committee on Monday that the Right to Information Bill would be taken up by the federal cabinet in its next meeting.

The minister was speaking at a meeting of the Senate’s Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage after its members criticised the government for “using delaying tactics” in getting the bill approved by the cabinet.

The committee had approved the proposed law in 2013 and was assured by the government then that the bill would soon be presented before the cabinet for approval.

Also read: ‘Right to information bill finalised by Senate body’

Since then, Senator Farhatullah Babar of the PPP pointed out, the cabinet had held three meetings, but the bill had not yet been placed on its agenda.

Information Secretary Mohammad Azam Khan said the ministry had sent the bill’s draft to the Cabinet Division in last November for further action.

The information minister said he had discussed the issue with the secretary of the Cabinet Division who had assured him that in the next cabinet meeting, the bill would be taken up on a priority basis.

When passed by parliament, the bill will automatically repeal the existing Right to Information Law which, according to most political parties and other stakeholders, is actually negating the right to access to information on the pretext of security concerns and so-called national interests.

Published in Dawn February 17th , 2015

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