ISLAMABAD: Public sector institutions in Balochistan are proactively disclosing less than half of the information mandated under the Balochistan Right to Information (BRTI) Act, 2021, according to a new transparency assessment released by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen).
The report found that public bodies in the province disclose, on average, 48 per cent of the information required under the law. The assessment was conducted as part of Fafen’s “Countering Disinformation through Information” campaign, which underscores the role of proactive information disclosure in promoting transparency, accountability and countering misinformation.
Fafen reviewed a total of 66 public bodies in Balochistan, including 39 secretariat departments, 12 attached departments and 15 autonomous bodies. These institutions were evaluated against the proactive disclosure obligations outlined in Section 5 of the BRTI Act, which requires public authorities to publish nine categories of information. The law also stresses that information should be regularly updated and made accessible to the public, particularly through online platforms.
According to the findings, autonomous bodies performed comparatively better than other categories, disclosing an average of 59 per cent of the required information. Attached departments followed with 46 per cent compliance, while secretariat departments ranked lowest, with an average disclosure rate of 44 per cent.
Within secretariat departments, the Agriculture and Cooperatives Department, the Information Department, the Planning and Development Department, and the Urban Planning and Development Department were identified as the most transparent, each disclosing around 70 per cent of the required information. Among attached departments, the Gwadar Development Authority and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority led with 60 per cent compliance. In the category of autonomous bodies, the Balochistan Education and Endowment Fund and the University of Turbat emerged as top performers, each disclosing 80 per cent of the mandated information.
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Despite these examples of relatively strong compliance, the report highlighted significant gaps across most public bodies. A majority disclosed only 40 to 50 per cent of the required information, while several institutions lagged far behind, publishing as little as 10 to 30 per cent.
The assessment showed that basic organisational information, such as institutional structure, functions and duties, was the most frequently disclosed category, available on 98 per cent of public bodies’ websites. Information on the legal framework governing operations was accessible on 80 per cent of websites, while details related to public services and service delivery conditions were disclosed by 73 per cent of the institutions reviewed.
Despite high-performing public bodies, the assessment identified widespread gaps in compliance.https://t.co/Sm45ijfvak
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) January 5, 2026
In contrast, financial transparency remained weak. Only 21 per cent of public bodies published any budget-related information, including proposed or actual expenditures, highlighting a major shortfall in fiscal openness.
Fafen stressed that improving proactive disclosures, particularly in areas such as budgeting and decision-making, is essential for strengthening public trust and ensuring effective implementation of the right to information law in Balochistan.
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