Provincial institutions have not yet disclosed their administrative, functional and financial information on their websites
KARACHI:
Eight years have passed since the Sindh Assembly approved the Transparency and Right to Information Act, 2016, and yet most government departments in the province have still not implemented it effectively.
Under Article 6 of the law, all public institutions working under the provincial government are required to provide information on their administrative structure, functions and financial matters through their official websites. The aim of the law was to ensure transparency and allow citizens easy access to public information. However, many departments have failed to comply with these requirements, and even the Sindh Assembly itself has not fully implemented the law it passed.
Earlier this year, the Sindh Assembly hosted a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference and spent significant public funds, but details of the expenditure were not published on its website. The website also lacks information on the number of assembly employees and their annual cost, as well as the millions of rupees paid to members each year in salaries and allowances.
A similar situation exists in many other government ministries. By law, public bodies must keep their websites regularly updated with details about their responsibilities, rules, budgets and expenditures. However, a review of several departmental websites shows that updates are either infrequent or completely non-existent.
Some of the largest departments in the province include the local government department, the health department and the education department. The website of the Department of Local Government has been displaying a “maintenance work” message for several days. The Local Government Council website was last updated on December 13, 2024, while the Department of Health website often fails to open. The Department of Colleges website shows its most recent notification dated August 8, 2025, indicating a lack of regular updates.
The law also allows citizens to request information directly from government services. However, many people who have attempted to obtain information in this way have faced delays or failed to obtain the requested details. As a result, citizens often have to file a complaint with the Sindh Information Commission.
According to Saleem Khan, commissioner of the Sindh Information Commission, more than 1,600 complaints have been filed with the commission against various departments since 2023. Of these, around 1,500 complaints have been resolved. Under the law, if a government department fails to provide information within the specified time frame, the requester can file a complaint with the commission. The commission then contacts the department concerned, obtains the information and communicates it to the applicant.
Despite this mechanism, many people become discouraged by not receiving information and choose not to pursue the matter further. For example, Abdul Ahad Qureshi, a resident of Karachi, said he had requested information from the Ministry of Education regarding a government school in his area but received no response. “Due to my busy schedule, I do not have time to address the commission or attend the hearings,” Qureshi said.
Meanwhile, the Sindh Information Commission has written to all departments of the provincial government, asking them to implement Section 6 of the Act. The commission also issued public announcements asking departments to post relevant information on their websites and warning that action could be taken if they did not comply.
Local lawyer Dr. Murtaza Khuhro has also filed petitions in the Sindh High Court challenging the lack of enforcement of the law, and hearings are currently underway. “The Sindh government has shown little seriousness in implementing the legislation. The law required the establishment of Sindh Information Commission offices in every district of the province, but none have been established so far,” Dr Khohro said.
“Since the third week of February, the post of Chief Information Commissioner has remained vacant, further reflecting the government’s lack of commitment to implementing the Transparency Act,” he added.
