Where is my Right?

Peshawar, 20 February 2016. The Khyber Pukhtoonkhawa Directorate of Social welfare and women development is lakes the designated RTI officer. The applicants who are applying for the provision of information under RTI Act 2013 confronting huge delays in receiving their required information from the directorate.

The KP government after enacting the in 2013 has also notified the RTI commission, with a move to facilitate the citizen to exercise their right to excess to information guaranteed by the constitution and was lauded both at national and international forums, however the relevant directorates, departments and institutions still hesitant to provide information to the applicants by using delaying tactics.

Despite of the fact that the ministry of social welfare and women development is governed by Dr. Mehar Taj Roghani of PTI & Skindar Sherpao of QWP consecutively, however the directorate is largely fails to address the core issues attached to women and girls. The inability and absence of proper check and balance mechanism the directorate not only reluctant, but fails to reply on RTI application extended to directorate by RTI commission through secretary social welfare.

One such application was filed through fax to the secretary social welfare on 14 December 2015 under the RTI act for provision of information related to women and girls. Mr. Jamshed not only confirm, but had informed the applicant that the required information will be provided within fifteen days, however after passing two and half months, no such information is provided to the applicant.

The severity of the issue can be gauged from the fact that the concerned section officer at civil secretariat reply and direct the officer at directorate for provision of information through a letter dated January 5th 2016, however the letter took more than fifteen days in reaching the applicant and was delivered to the applicants at his office on January 19th.

The applicant registered his complaint to the RTI commission through email informing the concerned officer and the RTI about delays in providing the required information.

On February 18th- 2016 the applicants visited in person the Directorate of social welfare to get updates related to his application/ information. The relevant officer umar zareen who deal the RTI applicants in the directorate informed the applicant that he was on leave and as no other officer was designated, hence information was delayed. The officer further added that he has assigned and dealing with two other additional charges/responsibilities in social welfare department as well. He said that he received letter of applicants and wrote a letter to relevant department for information but still he didn't get information from relevant woman department.

It was also noted that non-experience and irrelevant subordinates are also interfering with the provision of information. The applicants, while during his visit to the directorate along with Focal person of RTI social welfare department Mr. Sareer a field officer advised the applicant by saying “it’s ok to collect information, however refrain from using it against the Directorate or against the provincial government". He also didn't have information, how and when the department would reply of applicants.

It is pertinent to note that under RTI all public office are bound to provide free of cost information in 20 days in maximum, if fails the public information officer may face a fine up to 25000/