Concept Note
The promulgation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Ordinance 2013 has significantly changed Right to Information Legislative landscape in the country. With Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002 operational at the federal level and its replicas operational in Sindh and Balochistan in the shape of Sindh Freedom of Information Act 2006 and Balochistan Freedom of Information Act 2005 respectively, KP and Punjab were the only provinces wherein RTI laws had not been enacted. The government of Punjab publicized its draft RTI law in the newspapers on August 08, 2013 for public comments. The KP government has put in place an effective and progressive RTI law if the draft shared by the Punjab government is anything to go by, Punjab is also likely to have a good law in the near future. How can the draft Punjab Freedom of Information Act 2013 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Ordinance 2013 be improved when these laws are submitted in their respective assemblies? How can the democratization of information be ensured through the implementation of these laws? What strategy needs to be adopted by civil society groups to get Freedom of Information Ordinance 2002, Sindh Freedom of Information Act 2006 and Balochistan Freedom of Information Act 2005 repealed and and replaced with effective RTI laws? These questions will be discussed in the conference on ‘Changing RTI Legislative Landscape: The Way Forward for Civil Society Groups and Political Parties’

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