Fact Check: PIC yet to decide appeals against Defense Ministry
Islamabad: The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has yet to decide an appeal against the Defense Ministry and the news published in a country’s leading newspaper on December 9 is misprinted and misinformed.
In a tweet on Wednesday, the PIC said the Commission has only issued a notice to the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the Defence Ministry, asking him to submit his response on behalf of the ministry against the appeals received by the Commission.
Earlier on Wednesday, a Pakistan’s leading newspaper published news that the PIC has informed the Defence ministry that information about income, income tax, assets, perks, privileges, post-retirement benefits and plots allotted to the officers of the armed forces is not sensitive information but public information.
However, the Commission in its rebuttal on twitter made it clear that it has only issued a notice to the PIO for the ministry response, adding that the facts in the published story are misprinted and misinformed.
Facts misrepresented in @dawn_com story, the commission only issued notice to PIO to respond to citizens’ info e1requests as per SOP. Appeals still pending final decision.
“Ministry asked to provide data on income, assets of senior military officers”https://t.co/DuCpL2iHK9 pic.twitter.com/n6DZPvlokt— Pakistan Information Commission (@PkInfoCom) December 9, 2020
The rebuttal further made it clear that the Commission has only issued a notice to the PIO as per Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and decision on citizens’ appeals is pending for final.
It is to mention here that members of Women Action Forum (WAF) have filed number of appeals with the PIC against the Defence ministry for not providing information under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017.
