Pakistan Information Commission Rules RTI Appellant Cannot Withdraw Appeal After Proceedings Begin
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has issued an order concerning a request by RTI activist Saddia Mazhar to withdraw her appeal against Pakistan Television Corporation (PTVC), observing that an appellant cannot be granted a unilateral right to withdraw an appeal once it has been taken up by the Commission.
In its order dated August 20, 2026, concerning Appeal No. 4134-10/24 against PTVC, the Commission noted that Mazhar had submitted an application on August 12 seeking withdrawal of the appeal in protest against prolonged non-implementation of the Commission’s order.
The Commission expressed concern over the contents of the withdrawal application, stating that the applicant had based her request on what it described as a “self-presumed analysis” and had attempted to portray the broader situation negatively by referring to her previous appeals against various public bodies.
“The Commission is an august forum formed under the law and is not a debating club,” the order stated, adding that neither applicants nor public bodies could be allowed to express views without regard to the legal framework governing proceedings before the Commission.
The Commission further observed that an applicant could not remain oblivious to the ground situation and seek to “score points by making conjectures.”
According to the order, if an applicant is dissatisfied with an order passed by the Commission, the appropriate course would be to approach a superior legal forum in accordance with the law.
The order also took serious note of what the Commission described as a “threatening note” in the applicant’s letter, observing that the communication appeared to be intended “for the galleries.”
The Commission further clarified that once an applicant approaches it and an appeal enters the legal process, the applicant does not automatically acquire a unilateral right to withdraw the case.
