Pakistan Information Commission Orders National Assembly to Disclose Committee Meeting Expenses, Allowances
Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has directed the National Assembly Secretariat to provide detailed information regarding the expenditures, travel allowances, perks and privileges of members and chairpersons of parliamentary standing committees and their subcommittees, following an appeal filed by journalist Saddia Mazhar.
In an order issued on October 28, 2026, the Commission directed the Secretary of the National Assembly Secretariat to furnish clear and specific responses to 13 outstanding questions raised by the journalist under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, within 10 days.
The directions came in response to Appeal No. 5796-07/2026, titled Saddia Mazhar vs National Assembly of Pakistan, after the applicant complained that the Secretariat had failed to provide the requested information despite repeated correspondence during the appeal proceedings.
Journalist Seeks Details of Parliamentary Committee Expenditures
According to the case record, Saddia Mazhar submitted an information request to the National Assembly Secretariat on June 21, 2026, seeking comprehensive details concerning the functioning and financial expenditures of the National Assembly’s standing committees and their subcommittees.
The journalist sought information covering the period from January 2025 to the date of her request, including the complete lists of standing committees and subcommittees, the total number of meetings conducted, and the overall expenditure incurred in holding those meetings.
She also requested details of travel allowances paid to committee members and chairpersons, along with a breakdown of the perks, privileges and other financial benefits provided to them.
The request further sought the total amount paid to members of standing committees and subcommittees under heads other than travel allowances, aiming to establish a clearer picture of the financial resources spent on parliamentary committee activities.
Following the Secretariat’s failure to provide a satisfactory response, Mazhar approached the Pakistan Information Commission through an appeal submitted by email on July 5, 2026.
Commission Finds Information Provided Insufficient
According to the Commission’s order, proceedings were initiated after the appeal was received, and the National Assembly Secretariat subsequently submitted its response, which was shared with the applicant.
However, the journalist challenged the response, maintaining that the information supplied did not adequately address her questions.
The Secretariat then submitted a further response to her rejoinder, but Mazhar reiterated that, except for the first question concerning the list of standing committees, the remaining 13 questions had not been answered.
During the proceedings, Sehrish Mushtaq, Litigation Officer of the National Assembly of Pakistan, appeared on behalf of the public body.
After examining the responses, rejoinders and information available on the National Assembly’s official website, the Commission acknowledged that the Secretariat had uploaded a substantial amount of relevant information online.
However, it concluded that the publicly available material did not satisfy the specific requirements of the journalist’s information request.
“The information provided does not meet the specific requirements set out in the information request,” the Commission observed in its written order.
The Commission further noted that it had independently verified the information available on the National Assembly website and found that the dispute persisted because of differences between the format of the information requested and the material published by the Secretariat.
National Assembly Secretary Directed to Respond Within 10 Days
While appreciating the National Assembly Secretariat’s practice of publishing parliamentary information on its website, the Commission emphasized that public disclosure must also address the specific information sought by citizens under the law.
The Commission observed that Section 11(3) of the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, requires applicants to formulate clear and specific questions, while the public body is required to provide objective responses consistent with the spirit of the law and Section 3(2) of the Act.
It also noted that the law is citizen-centric and that appeals cannot be prolonged beyond the prescribed statutory timeline.
Accordingly, the Commission directed the Secretary of the National Assembly Secretariat to provide clear and specific responses to questions numbered 2 to 14 of Mazhar’s original information request within 10 days.
The outstanding questions primarily concern parliamentary committee and subcommittee meetings, expenditures, travel allowances, remuneration and other financial privileges provided to committee members and chairpersons.
The Commission disposed of the appeal while scheduling implementation proceedings for November 19, 2026, to examine compliance with its directions.
The order was issued by Information Commissioner Ijaz Hassan Awan and Chief Information Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui.
