ISLAMABAD: Former Senator Farhatullah Babar has once again urged the Defence Ministry to respond to his query under the RTI Act, 2017, about perks and privileges of senior officers as order passed by the Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) over a year ago in May 2022; said a press release.

In a letter addressed to the Secretary Defence, he reminded that he first requested this information along with a copy of the rules and regulations governing perks of retired senior officers in July 2020, but it was declined.

On appeal, the PIC ordered on May 12, 2022, that not only the requisite information be provided but the regulations governing land allotments be also published on the website of the Defence Ministry. However, this order has also not been complied with till date, the letter said.

He further said that last month, a three-member bench headed by CJP ordered that information about Court’s employees be provided to a petitioner stating that the right to information was a fundamental right under Article 19 of the Constitution. “Encouraged I humbly renew my request once again for information about post-retirement perks and privileges of senior defence officers”, he said.

Dispelling any misgivings, he said that his question “had arisen out of reported allotment of 90 acres to an ex-army chief in suburbs of Lahore as post-retirement benefit”. When the matter was raised in the senate, the ISPR, instead of denying the allotment, claimed on January 26, 2017, that “such allotments are through constitutional provisions”. Naturally, public interest questions and issues of transparency, regulations making, and accountability do arise and I once again urge that the information be kindly provided under the RTI Act 2017, he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023