The Women’s Action Forum has requested to the concerned agencies to disclose the details of the financial assets of Pakistan’s senior military officers and judges under the Right to Information Act.
The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) says that the condition of disclosure of assets under the Constitution of Pakistan should not be limited to elected parliamentarians but should also apply to senior officials of all state institutions.
Nighat Saeed Khan, the National Coordinator of the Women’s Action Forum, revealed that in the first phase, she sought information on the assets of high court judges and Pakistan Army officers under the Right to Information Act from federal and provincial information officers, Supreme Court. The petition has been sent to the Registrars of the four High Courts, the Chief Justices of the Supreme Court and the High Courts, the Secretary Law Division and the Secretary Defense.
Asset declarations of public officials are a powerful tool to prevent corruption, detect illicit enrichment and conflicts of interests. According to the World Bank, more than 150 countries have introduced asset disclosure requirements for their public officials.
Many of these countries make asset declarations available for public scrutiny. Public access to declarations multiplies their anti-corruption value, as civil society and journalists often play a crucial role by uncovering irregularities and triggering formal verification of declarations by anti-corruption/asset declaration agencies. This will be important in Ukraine where there is a vibrant civil society and media.
Public disclosure of the private assets of public officials and family members does not clash with the rights to privacy and data protection. Both rights are not absolute and can be restricted provided there is a basis in law and a legitimate public interest justifies the restriction. Prevention of corruption and exposing unexplained wealth of officials are serious and legitimate public interests.
