Pakistan's right to information commissions lack civil society members for years
Synopsis
Pakistan's right to information commissions — meant to enforce a constitutional guarantee — have been running without their public-interest members for up to two years across every major province and the federal level. With civil society seats vacant and Punjab proposing amendments that critics say could restrict access further, the machinery built to hold government accountable is itself becoming a barrier to accountability.
Key Takeaways
Civil society seats on Pakistan's RTI commissions have been vacant since January 2024 (Federal and Sindh), March 2025 (Punjab), and April 2026 (KP).
Former Federal Information Commissioner Zahid Abdullah warned the vacancy eliminates the tiebreaker, leaving deadlocked cases unresolved.
Punjab has proposed 14 amendments to its 2013 transparency law, including extending complaint resolution from 60 to 90 days .
Activist Naeem Sadiq reports receiving information in only about half of his roughly 200 cases, rating Punjab the worst performer.
The World Justice Project 2025 ranks Pakistan 130th of 143 countries on rule of law, with an open-government score of 0.39 against a global average of 0.52 .
Civil society groups, including the Free and Fair Election Network , are calling for transparent appointment processes for information commissioners.
Pakistan's right to information (RTI) commissions have been functioning without their civil society members for years, effectively stripping the public of any representation on the very bodies created to enforce their constitutional right to know, according to a report published on 4 October 2026. The vacancies span every major commission in the country, raising concerns about institutional imbalance and democratic accountability.
How Deep the Vacancies Run
Under the existing framework, each commission comprises three seats — a retired bureaucrat, a senior jurist, and a civil society representative — with Balochistan holding four seats as an exception. According to the report, citing Pakistani daily Dawn, the civil society seat in the Federal Commission and Sindh has remained vacant since January 2024, in Punjab since March 2025, and in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) since April 2026.
The commissions were established to enforce Article 19-A of Pakistan's Constitution independently of government influence, with the civil society member specifically intended to bring the public's perspective to proceedings.
The Structural Consequence
Zahid Abdullah, a former Federal Information Commissioner, said the prolonged vacancies have real and measurable consequences for functioning. 'When this (civil society Commissioner) position remains vacant, an important balance built into the composition of the commission is lost,' Abdullah said. 'Where two serving members disagree, there is no third commissioner to establish a majority and resolve the matter,' he added.
This means that contentious cases can remain deadlocked, denying citizens timely resolution — precisely the outcome the three-member structure was designed to prevent.
Punjab's Proposed Amendments Draw Scrutiny
Compounding the staffing crisis, the Punjab commission has proposed 14 amendments to the province's 2013 transparency law in its 2024-25 annual report. Critics argue the proposals, rather than making access easier, could create additional bureaucratic hurdles.
The suggested changes reportedly include exemptions for records tied to pending matters and internal correspondence, the power to reject requests deemed 'vexatious', 'malafide' or 'vague', requirements for personal attendance even when requests are submitted electronically, and an extension of the complaints resolution period from 60 to 90 days.
Ground Reality for Citizens
Karachi-based activist Naeem Sadiq says he receives information in roughly half of his approximately 200 cases. He rates Punjab as the worst performer, followed by Sindh and the federal system — a hierarchy of dysfunction that mirrors the depths of the vacancies.
In Balochistan, Information Commissioner Abdul Shakoor cited a lack of staff and office space, as well as delays in releasing the commission's budget, as persistent obstacles to effective functioning.
Pakistan's Global Transparency Standing
The broader institutional failures sit against a sobering global benchmark. The World Justice Project's 2025 index ranks Pakistan 130th of 143 countries on rule of law. Its open government score stands at 0.39, well below the global average of 0.52. Civil society organisations, including the Free and Fair Election Network, have called for greater transparency in how information commissioners are appointed.
The report's conclusion was pointed: 'Pakistan may have the relevant legislation, but citizens continue to encounter delays, bureaucratic resistance and institutional barriers when attempting to exercise that right.' It warned that institutions designed to open the doors of government risk becoming yet another bureaucratic door that citizens struggle to pass through.
The path forward, civil society groups argue, begins with filling the vacant seats — and ensuring the appointment process itself is open to public scrutiny.
Point of View
And the effect is that the commissions now resemble the closed-door culture they were meant to check. Punjab's proposed amendments, which would extend timelines, restrict categories of requests, and require physical attendance for digital submissions, compound the problem: they suggest the commission is more concerned with managing demand than enabling access. Pakistan's 130th-of-143 rule-of-law ranking is a structural fact, not a fluctuation — and the hollowing-out of RTI enforcement is one of the mechanisms that keeps it there.
NationPress
4 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Pakistan's right to information commissions considered ineffective right now?
Pakistan's RTI commissions have been operating without their civil society members for up to two years across multiple jurisdictions, leaving no public representative to break deadlocks or bring a citizen's perspective. The vacancies, combined with bureaucratic delays and proposed amendments that critics say would restrict access, have severely undermined their effectiveness.
Which provinces are affected by the civil society seat vacancies?
All major commissions are affected. The Federal Commission and Sindh have had vacant civil society seats since January 2024, Punjab since March 2025, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa since April 2026. Balochistan, which has four commission seats, faces separate challenges including staff shortages and budget delays.
What amendments has the Punjab commission proposed to the transparency law?
The Punjab RTI commission has proposed 14 changes to its 2013 transparency law in its 2024-25 annual report. These include exemptions for pending matters and internal correspondence, rejection of requests deemed vague or malafide, personal attendance requirements for electronic submissions, and extending the complaint resolution period from 60 to 90 days. Critics argue these changes could restrict rather than expand public access.
How does Pakistan rank globally on transparency and rule of law?
The World Justice Project's 2025 index places Pakistan 130th out of 143 countries on rule of law. Its open government score is 0.39, significantly below the global average of 0.52, reflecting systemic barriers citizens face in exercising their right to information.
What are civil society groups demanding to fix the crisis?
Organisations including the Free and Fair Election Network have called for transparency in the appointment process for information commissioners. Broader civil society voices argue that RTI enforcement bodies must themselves be open and accountable — filling the vacant civil society seats being the most immediate step.
