Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting has recommended that a bill seeking to remove the National Assembly and Senate from the Right of Access to Information law should not be passed.
The committee, which met under the chairmanship of Senator Sarmad Ali, took up the Right of Access to Information Amendment Bill, 2021, but decided to dispose of the matter as the members who had moved the bill were no longer serving in the Senate and the main mover was absent from the meeting.
The proposed amendment sought to exclude the National Assembly and Senate, including their secretariats, committees and members, from the definition of a public body under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017.
Under the existing law, these parliamentary institutions are included among the bodies from which citizens can seek information.
The bill was introduced in the Senate on January 25, 2021, by Senators Sajjad Hussain Turi, Walid Iqbal, Muhammad Ali Khan Saif, Manzoor Ahmed and Mirza Muhammad Afridi.
The movers had argued that the Senate and National Assembly were constitutional institutions and that some of their work was sensitive. They also referred to Article 69 of the Constitution and contended that information about Parliament should remain under the authority of the Chairman Senate and the Speaker National Assembly.
However, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting opposed the proposed amendment in a written response dated July 21, 2026. The ministry said removing Parliament from the law would run contrary to the purpose of the Right of Access to Information Act and would reduce transparency and public access to information.
The Ministry of Law and Justice also supported the position of the Information Ministry in its written response dated July 22, 2026.
During the committee meeting, members noted that the mover was not present despite calls and notices. A committee representative cited the relevant standing order, under which a legislative item can be disposed of when its mover remains absent from three consecutive meetings despite being informed.
The committee was also informed that the bill had remained pending since 2021 and that the senators who had moved it were no longer members of the Senate.
The committee, therefore, decided to dispose of the bill and recommended that it should not be passed.
