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Home » Home » PIC directs Cabinet Division to provide reasons in writing for exempting information about gifts deposited in ‘Tosha Khana’

PIC directs Cabinet Division to provide reasons in writing for exempting information about gifts deposited in ‘Tosha Khana’

Islamabad, July 29, 2020: Pakistan Information Commission on Wednesday directed the cabinet division to submit recorded reasons for exempting the information about Tosha khana under Section 7 (f) of the Right of Access to Information Act 2017 before 27th August.

The directions were issued through an interim order in an appeal of citizen Muhammad Waseem Elahi against Cabinet division.

The citizen had sought information under the Right of Access to Information Act 2017 about gifts deposited in ‘Tosha Khana’, names of recipients of these gifts, value and type of each gift and how many “complaints and inquiries of fraud/theft/lost/misappropriation/embezzlement regarding these gifted items are currently underway and concluded in last 30 days.

On March 09, 2020, the commission received an unsigned, undated and unreferenced letter containing copies of starred questions asked by the an MNA and Senator along with the reasons on which requested information was denied. The letter also contained a letter of Prime Minister’s office declaring the said information as classified and a decision of the President and the findings of Federal Ombudsman.

The commission in its interim order stated the unsigned, undated and unreferenced letter containing copies of above-mentioned documents cannot be treated as official communication.

The commission also noted that that the requested information has been sought under the Right of Access to Information Act 2017 and reasons for the exemption of the requested information have to be recorded under Section 7 (f) of the Right of   Access to Information Act 2017 which states, Records declared as classified by the Minister-in-charge of the Federal Government.

Provided that the Minister-in-Charge of the Federal Government shall have to record reasons as to why the harm from disclosure of information outweighs public interest and further that information pertaining to allegation of corruption and violation of human rights shall not be excluded.

“In exercise of the powers vested in this commission, the cabinet division is directed to appear before the Commission through Secretary, his representative or Public Information Officer designated under Section 9 of the Right of Access to Information Act 2017”, Interim Order stated. The appeal is fixed for hearing before the Pakistan Information Commission on August 27, 2020 at 11:30AM.

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