The International Press Institute¿s Response To
Pakistan¿s Ordinance
VIENNA: The International Press Institute
(IPI), the global network of editors and journalists, after examining the draft
Freedom of Information Ordinance 2000 of Pakistan, has recommended that the
ordinance needs to be revised in accordance with international standards on
access to information.
The ordinance should have the power to override other
laws. Any laws conflicting with this ordinance should be amended to reflect
this fact, it said. The IPI, in its initial report, also recommended that the
authorities should draw together interested parties for a conference on the
subject and use its results to re-draft the law, thus ensuring that all aspects
of the ordinance meet with international standards.
The IPI examined the ordinance in light of
international standards regarding freedom of information and whether the
intended ordinance may have consequences for freedom of the media. It further
recommended that the phrase classified should be defined under the ordinance.
There should be a duty to publish guidelines and other information on the
ordinance. The declaration of the public record should be drafted as widely as
possible, it said. In order for the ordinance to meet accepted international
standards, substantial amendments need to be undertaken, it said.
The IPI said this is the second draft ordinance on
the issue in the last three years. In 1997, a committee drafted a freedom of
information ordinance. Since 1997, the proposal for a freedom of information
ordinance has been held in abeyance until this year when the present ordinance
was drafted and presented to organisations inside Pakistan for their review.