Media Coverage

چترال(گل حماد فاروقی) ٹاؤن ہال چترال میں بجٹ مشاورت پر ایک روزہ ورکشاپ منعقد ہوا جس میں منتحب کونسلرز اور یونین کونسل کے دو سیکرٹریو ں نے بھی شرکت کی۔ ضلعی سطح پر بجٹ کنسلٹیشن کے مشاورتی پروگرام سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے انجنئیر تیمور شاہ نے کہا کہ بجٹ سے پہلے اس مشاورتی ورکشاپ کا بنیادی مقصد صاف اور شفاف طریقے سے بجٹ پیش کرنا ہے اور بجٹ میں ان منصوبوں کیلئے ترجیحات شامل ہیں جو اہم ضروری ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سی پی ڈ ی آئی جو ایک غیر سرکاری ادارہ ہے وہ صوبے بھر میں بجٹ پر مشاورتی پروگرام منعقد کروارہے ہیں۔ اس کا بنیادی مقصد بجٹ سازی پر مشاورت کرنا ہے اور ان مسائل کی نشاندہی کرنا ہے جو نہایت ضروری ہیں۔ محتلف اضلاع میں ضلع سطح پر بجٹ برانچ میں پچاسی آسامیاں حالی ہیں۔ CPDI نے مطالبہ کیا ہے کہ بجٹ رولز 2016 پر مکمل عمل درآمد کیا جائے اور شفافیت کو فروغ دینے کیلئے بجٹ سازی میں شہریوں کی شمولیت یقینی بنایا جائے۔ ان کا یہ بھی مطالبہ ہے کہ آئندہ مالی سال کے بجٹ کا پہلا ڈرافٹ اپریل میں پیش کرنا چاہئے تاکہ شہریوں کی تجاویز کو بروقت شامل کیا جاسکے۔

سجاد احمد جو کونسلرز فورم کا صدر بھی ہے ان کا کہنا تھا کہ ہمارے نظامت کے صرف چا ر پانچ ماہ رہ گئے اب اس کا کیا فائدہ ہونا تو یہ چاہئے تھا کہ یہ مشاورتی پروگرام پہلے ہوتا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ہم نے یونین کونسل اور ویلیج کونسل کے سطح پر من منصوبوں کیلئے بجٹ رکھا تھا وہ کئی بار منقطع ہوا اور کئی منصوبے ادھورے رہ گئے۔ چند منصوبوں کیلئے بہت تاخیر سے پہلا قسط ریلیز ہوا مگر اس کے بعد دوسرے قسط میں کوئی فنڈ ہی نہیں آیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ اب تو ویلیج کونسل کے پانچ لاکھ روپے کے منصوبوں کو بھی ٹنڈر کے ذریعے دیا جاتا ہے جبکہ ٹنڈر پر پانچ ماہ لگتے ہیں اور اکثر ٹنڈر منسوح بھی ہوتا ہے جس پر مزید پانچ ماہ لگتے ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ اگر ٹنڈر ہوبھی جائے تو بعض اوقات ٹھیکدار غائب ہوجاتا ہے یا رنگ کرکے کام کو نہایت Below ریٹ پر لیتا ہے جس سے معیار حراب ہوتا ہے۔

Published in Dadbedad

چترال(گل حماد فاروقی) ٹاؤن ہال چترال میں بجٹ پر مشاورت یعنی District Level Budget Consultation پر ایک ایک روزہ ورکشاپ منعقد ہوا جس میں منتحب کونسلرز اور یونین کونسل کے دو سیکرٹریو ں نے بھی شرکت کی۔ ضلعی سطح پر بجٹ کنسلٹیشن کے مشاورتی پروگرام سے خطاب کرتے ہوئے انجنئیر تیمور شاہ نے کہا کہ بجٹ سے پہلے اس مشاورتی ورکشاپ کا بنیادی مقصد صاف اور شفاف طریقے سے بجٹ پیش کرنا ہے اور بجٹ میں ان منصوبوں کیلئے ترجیحات شامل ہیں جو اہم ضروری ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سی پی ڈ ی آئی جو ایک غیر سرکاری ادارہ ہے وہ صوبے بھر میں بجٹ پر مشاورتی پروگرام منعقد کروارہے ہیں۔ اس کا بنیادی مقصد بجٹ سازی پر مشاورت کرنا ہے اور ان مسائل کی نشاندہی کرنا ہے جو نہایت ضروری ہیں۔ محتلف اضلاع میں ضلع سطح پر بجٹ برانچ میں پچاسی آسامیاں حالی ہیں۔ CPDI نے مطالبہ کیا ہے کہ بجٹ رولز 2016 پر مکمل عمل درآمد کیا جائے اور شفافیت کو فروغ دینے کیلئے بجٹ سازی میں شہریوں کی شمولیت یقینی بنایا جائے۔ ان کا یہ بھی مطالبہ ہے کہ آئندہ مالی سال کے بجٹ کا پہلا ڈرافٹ اپریل میں پیش کرنا چاہئے تاکہ شہریوں کی تجاویز کو بروقت شامل کیا جاسکے۔
سجاد احمد جو کونسلرز فورم کا صدر بھی ہے ان کا کہنا تھا کہ ہمارے نظامت کے صرف چا ر پانچ ماہ رہ گئے اب اس کا کیا فائدہ ہونا تو یہ چاہئے تھا کہ یہ مشاورتی پروگرام پہلے ہوتا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ہم نے یونین کونسل اور ویلیج کونسل کے سطح پر من منصوبوں کیلئے بجٹ رکھا تھا وہ کئی بار منقطع ہوا اور کئی منصوبے ادھورے رہ گئے۔ چند منصوبوں کیلئے بہت تاخیر سے پہلا قسط ریلیز ہوا مگر اس کے بعد دوسرے قسط میں کوئی فنڈ ہی نہیں آیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ اب تو ویلیج کونسل کے پانچ لاکھ روپے کے منصوبوں کو بھی ٹنڈر کے ذریعے دیا جاتا ہے جبکہ ٹنڈر پر پانچ ماہ لگتے ہیں اور اکثر ٹنڈر منسوح بھی ہوتا ہے جس پر مزید پانچ ماہ لگتے ہیں۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ اگر ٹنڈر ہوبھی جائے تو بعض اوقات ٹھیکدار غائب ہوجاتا ہے یا رنگ کرکے کام کو نہایت Below ریٹ پر لیتا ہے جس سے معیار حراب ہوتا ہے۔
انہوں نے کہا کہ ویلیج کونسل کے ترقیاتی منصوبوں کا پہلا مرحلہ بھی ابھی تک نامکمل ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ویلیج کونسل کے سطح پر پانچ لاکھ روپے تک منصوبوں کو ٹنڈر کے بغیر پراجیکٹ لیڈر کے ذریعے مکمل کرنا چاہئے تاکہ فنڈ ضائع نہ ہو اور کام بھی معیاری ہو۔
بعض کونسلران نے شکایت کی کہ اسلام آباد یا پشاور میں بیٹھے ہوئے لوگ اکثر یہاں آتے نہیں ہیں اور صرف حانہ پری کیلئے چترال میں بھی ورکشاپ کراتے ہیں یا کوئی منصوبہ بندی کرتے ہیں جن میں اکثر مقامی لوگوں سے مشاورت ہی نہیں کی جاتی جس کا انجام ناکامی کے سوا کچھ نہیں ہوتا۔اجلاس میں شرکاء کی تعداد کم ہونے پر انجنئیر تیمور شاہ نے نہایت مایوسی کا اظہار کیا۔

Published in City Express

KARACHI: The Sindh government has failed to implement ‘The Sindh Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2017, despite the passage of over a year and half since it was ratified by the governor.

The said law was passed by the Sindh Assembly in March 2017 and subsequently ratified by the Governor of Sindh the next month. Under the law, citizens of the province would be able to seek information from various government departments, who would be bound to provide the information within 15 working days.

Failure to provide the information would incur a fine of up to 10% of the basic pay of the designated officer. According to the law, the government shall establish the ‘Sindh Information Commission’, within 100 days of the commencement of the Act.

Besides, focal persons were to be nominated by each government department and information officers appointed in each district. “Instead of 100 days, the government finally set up the commission
in May, this year,” said Syed Raza Ali, a civil rights activist, who has been lobbying the government to implement the law.

“Neither have focal persons been nominated by any department nor have information officers been appointed,” he added.

For all the government’s tall claims, Ali lamented, the law has remained dormant.

Proactive disclosure

One of the best features of the law, according to experts, is the provision for ‘proactive disclosure’, which entails department to disclose information on their websites and through other mediums. According to a recent study by the Center for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI), not a single government department’s website features the Right to Information (RTI) section.

“There are international standards to gauge the proactive disclosure of information flow on websites. Our research reveals that there is four per cent information on Sindh chief minister’s website, nine per cent on the Governor House website and eight per cent on Sindh information department’s website. The latter is responsible for raising awareness about RTI law in the province,” said CPDI Executive Director Amer Ejaz.

Sharing details from their research, Ejaz said, “Around 33 per cent of information from the Zakat department, 31 per cent of the Sindh High Court and 28% of the Public Service Commission’s information is available on provincial government’s websites”.

The study found that the finance department topped the list of proactive disclosures and had uploaded 40 per cent of its information on its website, followed by the Sindh Assembly, which has uploaded around 38 per cent of its data.  “Not a single department in Sindh government has met the criteria to put around 50 per cent information on its websites,” study said.

Seeking information

As per the law, any citizen who wishes to seek information from a government department must submit an application to it. “The said application may be made in any form or manner to the designated official.  Anyone who believes that their request has not been dealt in accordance with the provisions of this Act has the right to lodge a complaint with the Commission to this effect. The Commission shall decide any complaint within a period of 45 days,” the law reads.

Moreover, the Information Commission shall be an independent statutory body, according to the law, with its principal seat located in the provincial capital and subsidiary offices in each district headquarters.

“The information commission shall comprise three persons appointed by the government on such terms and conditions as are determined by the government,” the law reads.

The commission will be headed by a chief information commissioner, who would in turn be a retired government bureaucrat. The other two
members would be selected from the legal fraternity with extensive experience in the field.

Justifying the delay

Asked about the delays in the implementation of the law, the Chief Minister’s Advisor on Information Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that there were some issues, but the government had finally notified the commission’s head. “We have appointed the commission head and two of its members,” he said, adding that Shahid Gulzar Shaikh has been appointed the Chief Information Commissioner, while Syed Gul Muneer Shah and Sikandar Ali Huliyo have been appointed as commissioners.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Sikandar Ali Huliyo, one of the information commissioners, said that there were financial hitches which delayed the implementation by a year.

“The Information Commission was notified in May this year, but we had no funds. We approached the caretaker government, which was reluctant to take up this issue,” said Huliyo.

“Now, the Sindh government has granted Rs55 million and released the amount. We will now hire staff and are looking for an office space in Karachi,” he said, adding that all the issues would be resolved within two weeks.

Published in Express Tribune

KARACHI: Around 73% of the polling stations in NA-243, which falls in District East, are inaccessible to persons with disabilities, revealed a survey conducted by the Pakistan Alliance for Inclusive Elections (PAIE), a network of disabled persons’ organisations working in the country.
The NA-243 seat fell vacant after Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had won five NA seats, vacated it.
These numbers are alarming, considering the Election Comission of Pakistan’s (ECP) five-year strategic plan, which was to be implemented before the July 2018 general elections, included polling station accessibility. Pakistan’s largest city will now face the same issue in the upcoming by-elections on October 14.

Civil society organisations have demanded the ECP take immediate steps to make all polling stations accessible to persons with disabilities.

By-elections for 30 vacant seats on October 14

There are a total 216 polling stations in this constituency with 402,731 registered voters, of whom 211,510 are male and 191,221 female. The number of persons with disabilities registered as voters in this constituency is unclear.

The survey results depict that maximum polling stations fail to meet one or more mandatory criteria lacking, water, sanitation, proper ventilation and ramps. “With minor alterations, the issues can be resolved,” the survey found.

Sharing the findings of the survey, Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) Senior Advocacy Officer Fatimah Shah said, “The purpose of this audit was to present reliable data before stakeholders regarding accessibility in elections and to generate debate on the concerns of persons with disabilities.”
This issue becomes more important in the current scenario as the ECP failed to resolve the accessibility problem before the general elections this year and now, the by-elections are approaching with 73% polling stations still inaccessible for persons with disabilities in an urban constituency of Karachi – the economic hub of Pakistan.

CPDI Senior Programme Manager Raja Shoaib Akbar, who has supervised the survey, stated that 30% polling stations did not have a firm and obstacle-free passage leading to the building while 67% buildings did not provide a level access to the entrance of the polling station. He said persons with disabilities cannot go inside these buildings using wheelchairs as they only have stairs and no ramps. Even the ground floor of the buildings is inaccessible.

Moreover, 80% of the polling stations do not have a ramp to facilitate voters on wheelchairs. In 27% of the cases, protruding objects outside the polling stations pose a challenge on the way, Akbar shared.
According to international standards, polling station gates must be wide enough to facilitates voters with disabilities. However, the survey revealed that smaller pedestrian gates pose several problems. Firstly, the gates are not enough wide enough, secondly, the iron bar below the gate is always thicker than the maximum threshold standard of 6mm. Lastly, the threshold of the gates is generally two to three inches above the ground causing another hindrance. The ECP should direct its staff to facilitate persons with disabilities by opening the larger gates as this would ease some of the discomfort.

The survey further revealed that no low slope ramps or other facilities were observed at these buildings for facilitation of persons with disabilities.

Karachi police chief warns officers against hassling couples

Poor lighting posed another impediment for persons with reduced visibility. Also, only 57% of polling stations possessed exterior lighting arrangements, leaving the entrance of 43% sampled polling stations in the dark at the time of closing of the stations and display of results by the presiding officer.

The report suggested that slight changes can make these inaccessible buildings more persons-with-disabilities-friendly, such as construction of small ramps at the entrance and inside the building, leveling of pathways in front of the polling stations and removal of protruding objects from the pathways and interior of the building.

Despite many attempts, contact with the provincial election commissioner could not be established. However, the provincial spokesperson for the election commission said, “It is the job of the returning officer to look into the matter.” The returning officer of NA 243 neither attended his phone nor responded to text messages.

Published in Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: The federal government needs to start implementation of economic reform agenda by adopting Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. The said bill clearly describes the taxpayers’ rights, the mechanism which will ensure the protection of these rights and possible remedy if taxpayers’ rights are violated or infringed upon.

According to a press release issued on Tuesday, Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) urged the federal government to take immediate steps to adopt Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. Executive Director CPDI Amer Ejaz said that “CPDI acknowledges the commitment of newly elected PTI government towards the economic reforms”. Ejaz further remarked that by adopting taxpayers’ bill of rights PTI would win the taxpayers’ trust and confidence in the revenue collection and public expenditure mechanisms. Without appealing to the taxpayers’ trust it would be hard for government to reform the economy and achieve the targets that PTI government has set for itself.

He expresses that Mukhtar Ahmad Ali Founding Director of CPDI was part of the sub-committee constituted by former Tax Ombudsman Dr. Shoaib Suddle. The committee was headed by Dr. Tariq Hasan which drafted the said Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights. The said bill is also available on the Tax Ombudsman’s website. Unfortunately, the above referred draft has not yet been given due attention by the relevant authorities.

CPDI stresses that as a part of PTI’s economic reform agenda, the government should take up the bill on priority basis and ensure that Taxpayers’ Bill of Rights is adopted and enacted into an enforceable law without further delay.

Published in The News

Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to carry out an in-depth post-election review exercise.

In a letter written to Election Commission of Pakistan Secretary Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad, the CPDI Executive Director Amer Ejaz highlighted the challenges that ECP faced in pre and post-election phase.

Enter ‘Naya Pakistan’: Elections 2018 and the ‘foreign press’

He also gave suggestions for carrying out the robust and professional in-depth post-election review exercise. The letter says that despite ECP’s best efforts and much better performance compared to past elections, it is an unfortunate fact that serious questions have been raised by certain political parties and other stakeholders about the fairness of pre-election and result consolidation processes.

CPDI believes it would be prudent to take stock of all such questions and the critique, and systematically reflect on the whole process by carrying out an in-depth post-election review exercise.

CPDI suggests involving external experts to carry out this exercise. It is also required to adopt methodology involving feedback and input from all stakeholders including senior election officers, and a sample of polling agents, candidates, presiding officers and other polling staff, returning officers, district election officers, monitoring officers and election observers.

PTI fields candidates for by-elections

CPDI demands that ECP should carry out this exercise as soon as possible, and share its findings with the parliament.

Ejaz further remarked that the post-election review exercise will help ECP to bring further improvements in the legal framework, election procedures and ECP’s management capacity. The exercise will lead ECP to better prepare for any such situation in future. This will also improve commission’s credibility in this sensitive time as opposition is in doubts of it.

Published in The Express Tribune

ISLAMABAD: Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to carry out an in-depth post-election review exercise.

In a letter written to Secretary Election Commission of Pakistan Babar Yaqoob Fateh Muhammad, Executive Director CPDI Amer Ejaz highlighted the challenges that ECP faced in pre and post-election phase. He also gave suggestions for carrying out the robust and professional in-depth post-election review exercise. The letter says that despite ECP’s best efforts and much better performance compared to past elections, it is an unfortunate fact that serious questions have been raised by certain political parties and other stakeholders about the fairness of pre-election and result consolidation processes.

CPDI believes it would be prudent to take stock of all such questions and the critique and systematically reflect on the whole process by carrying out an in-depth post-election review exercise.

CPDI suggests involving external experts to carry out this exercise. It is also required to adopt methodology involving feedback and input from all stakeholders including senior election officers, and a sample of polling agents, candidates, presiding officers and other polling staff, returning officers, district election officers, monitoring officers and election observers. CPDI demands that ECP should carry out this exercise as soon as possible and share its findings with the Parliament.

Ejaz further remarked that the post-election review exercise will help ECP to bring further improvements in the legal framework, election procedures and ECP’s management capacity. The exercise will lead ECP to better prepare for any such situation in future. This will also improve Commission’s credibility in this sensitive time as opposition is in doubts of it. By carrying out such practices ECP will reflect upon its clear intentions of doing their work honorably and scrupulously.

CPDI expresses the desire that ECP will take this advisement under consideration and take some practical measures regarding this matter. We also acknowledge the concerted efforts made by ECP to conduct general election 2018 on time.

Published in The News