PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information (RTI) Commissioner Riaz Khan Daudzai has said the RTI law is vital for good governance.
Riaz Daudzai said the citizens, particularly the journalists, can fully utilize this law to end corruption, nepotism and non-transparent practices in government departments and elsewhere.
In his address to students during a visit to the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Peshawar (UoP), the RTI commissioner said many countries in the world are using Public Service Information Index for getting foreign assistance, investment and global connectivity.
Riaz Daudzai said the RTI project in Pakistan was appreciated at the recent Paris Peace Forum and it was declared among the top-ten projects of the country, which is a matter of great honour for his institution. The RTI commissioner urged the journalism students to focus more on stories based on solid data and facts instead to routine stories based on emotions and politics.
Riaz Daudzai said journalism departments and universities must play role in informing the people and society at large towards the importance of RTI law and its better utilization. The RTI commissioner said that scrutiny of public bodies has become a very important practice nowadays due to economic recession for saving valuable taxpayers money and checking corruption and corrupt practices.
The RTI commissioner on the occasion also told the students about the process of RTI applications from beginning to end in a simple manner. However, he made it clear that exception and exemptions for withholding information about public bodies was the mandate of RTI Commission.
On the occasion, Chairman Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Professor Faizullah Jan and other faculty members planted saplings in the lawn of the department along with the RTI commissioners to mark the plantation campaign and make his visit memorabale. After addressing the students, the RTI commissioner also did a question/answer session about the RTI law on Campus Radio.
The students appreciated the visit of the RTI commissioner and said the valuable information shred by him will go a long way in helping them in their journalism careers after completing their education.
