Sahiwal: The Punjab government has reversed its earlier decision to remove members of the Punjab Information Commission, according to a new notification issued on Thursday.
This came after the Information and Culture Department of Punjab issued a controversial notification on February 13, which removed the Chief Information Commissioner, Mahboob Qadir Shah, and Information Commissioner, Dr. Arif Mushtaq.
Mr. Shah challenged the decision in the Lahore High Court, which convened a five-member bench to hear the case on Thursday. After a brief hearing, the court issued a notice to the Punjab Government for the following day. Before the next hearing, the government of Punjab took its notification back.
The case has its origins in the de-notification of all three members of the Punjab Information Commission by the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab. This move violated Sections 5(8) to 5(12) of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013.
The notification was met with widespread condemnation from civil society organizations, who argued that it was an attempt to impede transparency and accountability in government.
