Under the law, any Pakistani citizen or a legal person (registered/incorporated entity) can submit RTI applications and obtain information from any public body.Any of following and other information that is not exempt from disclosure, can be requested
- The laws, rules, bylaws and regulations by which a public body operates
- The organizational set up, staff numbers and grades
- Its budget – both allocated funds and actual expenditures
- Tenders and contract awards
- Services provided, process and official fees (if any) for obtaining those services
- Annual and other reports
- Any other information not exempts u/s 13 of the Act
The information may be a memo, book, design, map, contract, representation, order notification, plans, accounts statement, project proposal, photograph, audio, video, and any instrument prepared through electronic process, machine-readable documents and so on.
You can access information in any physical form -- printed, electronic, or request physical inspection of record. There is no fee for requesting information, but you may be charged for reproducing information for you (photocopying, CDs, USB drive etc.).in accordance with the Schedule of Cost notified by the Commission.
Information Exempt from Disclosure Under the Law
A public body may not disclose some types of information, as it could cause harm, for example to national security, the economy, Pakistan’s relations with another country, or violate someone’s right to privacy. However, no exception is absolute and the Commission can order access to exempt information if it determines that the benefits of disclosure outweigh the potential harm. For further information about exceptions, please read section 13 of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013.
Proactive Disclosure
The proactive disclosure of information (to be easily available in public domain -- through websites, brochures, office displays) is specified in section 4 of the Act. Tip for you! Before submitting an RTI request, check if the public body has already disclosed the information in a proactive manner.