A significant majority of public institutions in Balochistan are failing to disclose crucial information regarding financial matters and citizen access rights, with as few as two percent revealing details on beneficiaries of permits and licences, a new report has found.
According to an assessment report released by Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) on Sunday, on average, government bodies in the province proactively share just 48 percent of the information legally mandated by the Balochistan Right to Information (BRTI) Act, 2021.
The report is a component of FAFEN’s ‘Countering Disinformation through Information’ campaign, which aims to bolster institutional transparency and combat the spread of mis- and disinformation.
The study reviewed the compliance of 66 public organisations, which included 39 Secretariat Departments, 12 Attached Departments, and 15 Autonomous Bodies. Their performance was measured against the nine categories of proactive disclosure required under Section 5 of the BRTI Act, which also mandates the publication of updated records in accessible formats, such as online.
In a comparative analysis, Autonomous Bodies demonstrated the highest level of compliance by disclosing an average of 59 percent of the required information. They were followed by Attached Departments at 46 percent, with Secretariat Departments trailing at 44 percent.
Several institutions were identified as high-performing. Among Secretariat Departments, the Agriculture and Cooperatives, Information, Planning and Development, and Urban Planning and Development Departments were the most transparent, each sharing 70 percent of mandated details. The Gwadar Development Authority and Provincial Disaster Management Authority led the attached departments with 60 percent compliance. The Balochistan Education and Endowment Fund and the University of Turbat were the top autonomous bodies, both disclosing 80 percent of required information.
Despite these exemplars, the FAFEN analysis uncovered widespread deficiencies in compliance across the board. A large number of public bodies shared only 40 to 50 percent of the necessary information, while several organisations fell significantly behind, publishing as little as 10 to 30 percent.
The breakdown of disclosed information revealed major gaps in financial transparency. While basic organisational data like functions and structure was available from 98 percent of bodies, only 21 percent published any budget-related records. Information on subsidy or benefit programmes was provided by 15 percent of institutions, and a mere two percent released details on the recipients of concessions, permits, licences, or authorisations.
Furthermore, information essential for public engagement was severely lacking. Just six percent of the assessed bodies provided guidance on submitting information requests or shared contact details for Public Information Officers (PIOs). Additionally, only 15 percent published their mandatory annual BRTI Act compliance reports.
FAFEN has urged provincial government institutions to better utilise technology for the proactive dissemination of authentic information to counter digital disinformation. The network also announced its intention to make public its recommendations for essential improvements to the BRTI Act 2021 to strengthen the government”s focus on transparency.