QUETTA: Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi has said that people under Article 19-A of the Constitution have the right to access information held by government institutions but they often violated this law and deny the citizens their right.

Speaking at an online session jointly organised by the Individual land, an advocacy group, and Unesco here on Wednesday, he said. “Right to access information held by public bodies is a key to building a strong state-citizen bond. When violated, it implies there is something which the public bodies do not want citizens to know.”

The minister said that Balochistan was yet to have a right to information law.

He said that the Right to Information Act 2005 mandated timely response to citizens’ requests for government information.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2020