Pakistan ranks 103 among 128 countries on the right to information: survey

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 27 November 2020

A World Justice Project survey reveals Pakistan's low ranking of 103 out of 128 countries regarding the right to information. The study assesses various factors impacting governmental transparency.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan ranks 103 among 128 countries in the world on the right to information, according to a World Justice Project (WJP) survey conducted by Gallup Pakistan.

The global survey results are based on sub-Factor 3.2 of the WJP Open Government Index. It measures:

1. Whether requests for information held by a government agency are granted.
2. Whether these requests are granted within a reasonable time period.
3. If the information provided is pertinent and complete.
4. If requests for information are granted at a reasonable cost and without having to pay a bribe.
5. Whether people are aware of their right to information.
6. Whether relevant records are accessible to the public upon request.

Pakistan vs. neighboring/South Asian countries: On this index, only Iran (117) ranks lower than Pakistan while the rest rank much higher with India at 37th, China 43rd, and Bangladesh 46th.

Pakistan vs. developed countries: Denmark is 3rd on this index, followed by the US at 12th and UK at 16th.

The study was released by the World Justice Project and carried out by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, the Pakistani affiliate of Gallup International.

The country scores and rankings presented in this report are built from more than 500 variables drawn from the assessments of more than 130,000 households and 4,000 legal practitioners and experts in 128 countries and jurisdictions.

The study in Pakistan was carried out among a sample of 1,000 men and women in urban and rural areas of all four provinces of the country, in 2019. The error margin is estimated to be approximately ± 2-3 percent at the 95% confidence level.