Nadeem Tanoli
Islamabad: The Pakistan Information Commission has declined to provide correspondence concerning the expiry of the terms of its current members, stating that the information sought does not fall within the definition of public record under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017. The commission also said its office held no such record.
The response has prompted questions about preparations ahead of the expiry of the current commission’s term in January 2027, particularly whether the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been formally informed so that the process for appointing new members can be initiated in time.
The information was requested by citizen Sadda Mazhar through an application sent on October 14, 2026, to Irfan Bashir, the Public Information Officer at the Pakistan Information Commission.
The request sought copies of letters or other correspondence sent to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting regarding the upcoming expiry of the terms of current members Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, a former federal secretary, and Ijaz Hassan Awan, a former judge, in January 2027. The stated purpose was to determine whether the ministry had been informed early enough to begin the appointment process without delay.
A second part of the request asked for copies of letters sent by former commission members, or by the commission’s registrar, to the ministry between August 2022 and January 2023. According to the request, former members had written to the ministry around three months before their terms came to an end.
The records were sought under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017, which allows citizens to request information held by public bodies, subject to restrictions provided in the law.
In its reply dated October 26, 2026, the commission said the request had been examined under Sections 2(v), 2(x) and 6 of the Act. It maintained that the requested information did not come within the scope of public record under these provisions.
The reply further stated: “There is no such record held by this office.”
However, the response does not explain whether the requested letters were never issued, were not retained by the commission, or were available with another government office. It also does not clarify whether the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has been informed separately about the expiry of the current members’ terms in January 2027.
The matter is significant because the request relates to steps for future appointments, rather than merely personal information about commission members. If the appointment process requires advance action by the ministry, the presence and timing of formal correspondence could indicate whether the process is progressing in time.
The commission’s reply does not state that the appointments will be delayed, nor does it establish that the ministry has not been informed. But in the absence of the requested correspondence or a clearer explanation about where such records may exist, questions over the process remain unanswered.
