ISLAMABAD: A Right to Information request seeking details of the Health Services Academy’s Business Incubation Center remains disputed after more than one year, with the applicant alleging that the response provided by HSA did not answer most of the questions raised.
The RTI request was submitted to the Vice Chancellor and Public Information Officer of the Health Services Academy on August 26, 2025, under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017. The applicant sought around 19 pieces of information about the Business Incubation Center, including its approval, legal authority, Higher Education Commission recognition, rules, finances, staff, partnerships, startups and performance reports.
The request sought copies of the meetings or resolutions through which the Business Incubation Center was established, rules governing its operations and details of any approval or recognition from the HEC, the Ministry of National Health Services or other competent authorities.
The applicant also asked whether the HSA Business Incubation Center complied with the HEC Business Incubation Center Policy 2021. Other information sought included details of courses and certificates, fees collected since its establishment, grants and donations, agreements with private and government partners, staff appointments and salaries, incubated startups, annual reports, audits and complete income and expenditure statements.
According to the applicant’s rejoinder filed before the Pakistan Information Commission on December 30, 2025, HSA provided information against Serial No. 4 and Serial No. 7 of the original request but claimed exemption from disclosure for the remaining information.
The applicant informed the commission that the response did not address the substance of the request and maintained that the remaining information should be disclosed under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017.
In a later follow-up submitted on May 11, the applicant complained that the public body appeared to be submitting a large volume of material without directly matching it with the original questions. He requested the Pakistan Information Commission to compare the documents provided by HSA with the original RTI request and ensure that complete information was supplied.
The documents described as part of HSA’s response package included minutes of an HSA Syndicate meeting from October 2024, academic rules and regulations for undergraduate and graduate programmes, the HEC policy on Business Incubation Centers, a brief list of three startups operating at HSA and audited financial statements for the year ending June 30, 2023.
The three startups listed in the material were identified as Health and Wellness Centre, Tax and Legal, and Capacity Training.
The applicant’s complaint, however, was that these documents did not provide direct answers to most of the specific questions raised about the Business Incubation Center.
The RTI request also sought details of government and HEC funding, private donations, support from NGOs and foreign donors, financial terms of partnerships such as those involving Enablers and Keytaab, the names and salaries of BIC staff and the current status of every startup working under the centre.
The applicant further objected to remarks attributed to HSA in its response, which accused him of harassment and having nefarious designs. In his rejoinder, he stated that seeking information under Article 19-A of the Constitution and the Right of Access to Information Act could not be treated as harassment, and asked the commission to disregard such remarks.
The applicant claims that, despite the passage of more than a year, complete answers to the questions have still not been provided. He also alleges that HSA has repeatedly submitted misleading or irrelevant documents instead of directly answering the questions and has urged the Pakistan Information Commission to take appropriate action in accordance with the law.
The case highlights broader questions about how public institutions respond to RTI requests, particularly when citizens seek detailed information about public funds, institutional decisions and government-supported programmes.
