ISLAMABAD: Public bodies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province proactively disclose an average of 57 per cent of the legally required information on their official websites, according to the latest transparency assessment report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN).
The assessment, conducted as part of FAFEN’s Countering Disinformation through Information campaign, emphasises the role of proactive disclosures in strengthening institutional transparency and curbing misinformation. The lack of official and authentic information fuels speculation, rumours, assumptions, and conjectures, all of which become major drivers of disinformation that undermines institutional credibility, dents public trust, and contributes to instability.
The assessment reviewed 190 public bodies, including 36 secretariat departments, 98 attached departments, and 56 autonomous bodies, against the proactive disclosure requirements of Section 5 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information (KPRTI) Act, 2013. The KPRTI explicitly mandates proactive disclosure of 12 distinct categories of information by public bodies and emphasises publishing up-to-date information in accessible manners, including over the internet.
Overall, autonomous bodies and secretariat departments of the provincial government showed the highest compliance at 64 per cent, while attached departments lagged at 50 per cent. Among the secretariat departments, the Auqaf, Hajj, Religious and Minority Affairs Department and the Minerals Development Department emerged as top performers, each disclosing 92 per cent of the required information.
The Institute of Management Sciences (IMSciences), Central Prison Peshawar, and Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) led among attached departments with 83 per cent compliance. Among autonomous bodies, the University of Agriculture, Peshawar, also achieved 92 per cent compliance.
However, the assessment found that nearly half of the public bodies fall below the 50 per cent mark. As many as 27 secretariat departments, 73 attached departments, and 30 autonomous bodies disclosed only 33–67 per cent of the required information. In addition, 14 attached departments, two autonomous bodies, and one secretariat department disclosed merely 17–25 per cent. Organisational information, including a public body’s functions, duties, and structure, is the most widely available category of information on official websites, with 89 per cent of public bodies sharing these details.
