TOBA TEK SINGH: The Faisalabad district administration has officially declared Iqbal Stadium as a “nonpublic building”.

The declaration came in response to a request made under the Right to Information Act, wherein a citizen sought information regarding the income and expenditure from private and public events, cricket matches and rent of shops in the stadium. Additional Deputy Commissioner Kashif Awan, representing the Deputy Commissioner, submitted a written reply to the Punjab Information Commission (PIC), stating that the Iqbal Stadium fell outside the purview of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013.

In an information provided by PIC to applicant Naeem Ahmad, the reply further clarified that the stadium is neither funded nor financed by the Government of Punjab or the Federal Government. “Instead, it generates its own resources to sustain its operations and meet its financial obligations.”

In reply to the PIC, administration of Iqbal Stadium said it had never received any financial assistance from the provincial and federal governments. Therefore, it asserted that it was not bound to provide information regarding its income and expenses to any citizen, as it operated independently.

Naeem Ahmed had originally submitted an application on Feb 13, 2023, to the District Right to Information Act Markaz located in the Deputy Commissioner’s office.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2023