The Pakistan Information Commission has ordered the NA Secretariat to answer pending questions within 10 days. The order concerns NA Secretariat expenses for parliamentary standing committees, the permanent panels that examine legislation and oversee government work. It seeks specific answers on spending, travel allowances, and perks received by committee members, chairpersons and their subcommittees.
What the commission ordered
The order bears the names of Ijaz Hassan Awan, an Information Commissioner, and Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, the Chief Information Commissioner. It asks the National Assembly secretary to respond to questions numbered 2 to 14, which are the 13 questions still open. The responses must be complete and specific rather than general.
The commission acknowledged that the National Assembly has published a large amount of parliamentary material online. It found, however, that this material did not properly address the particular questions asked. The commission stressed that public bodies must still give targeted replies under the 2017 law on access to official information, even when the information is already available on a website.
The request and the appeal
The case began when journalist Saddia Mazhar asked for NA Secretariat expenses linked to committee work from January 2025 onwards. Her request, dated June 21, 2026, sought a list of the standing committees and their subcommittees, the number of meetings held and their cost, and travel allowances paid to members and chairpersons. She also asked for full details of perks, privileges and other payments made to lawmakers serving on these panels.
When she received no satisfactory reply, she appealed to the commission on July 5, 2026. During the proceedings, the secretariat submitted its responses and these were shared with her. Ms Mazhar maintained that only the first question, on the list of committees, had been answered, and that the other 13 remained open. Sehrish Mushtaq, litigation officer of the NA Secretariat, represented the department during the proceedings.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- June 21, 2026: Saddia Mazhar submitted a request for committee expenditure and perks information from January 2025 onwards.
- July 5, 2026: She appealed to the Pakistan Information Commission after receiving no satisfactory response.
- November 19: The commission scheduled implementation proceedings to review whether the NA Secretariat has complied with its directive.
Aasan alfaaz mein
NA Secretariat ko hukm diya gaya hai ke wo parliamentary committees ke kharch, travel allowances aur sahuliyaat ki tafseel 10 din mein de. Yeh faisla Information Commission ne ek journalist ki appeal par diya, jis ke mutabiq 13 sawalon ke jawab mukammal nahi thay. Commission 19 November ko dekhega ke hukm par amal hua hai ya nahi. Aam shehri ke liye iska matlab hai ke sarkari kharchon ki maloomat maangne ka haq is case se mazboot hota hai.
