• Issues Report on Availability, Usability and Accessibility of Information on Parliamentary Websites

ISLAMABAD, January 21, 2025: The Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) has called for the standardization of information and accessibility features across parliamentary websites as a prerequisite to enhancing their usability and transparency. Such reforms are essential not only to improve public engagement in the parliamentary processes but also as a key countermeasure against the spread of disinformation that undermines parliamentary work and democratic processes, recommends FAFEN’s latest report on Parliamentary Transparency and Openness in Pakistan.

While parliamentary websites in Pakistan have evolved into vibrant hubs of updated information, often outperforming the websites of many federal ministries and divisions, they still exhibit significant disparities in transparency, accessibility, and usability. Some platforms provide extensive legislative information, while others fail to meet even minimum standards. These inconsistencies restrict public access to critical information and exacerbate the risks of misinformation and disinformation in an already polarized political environment. Moreover, a robust digital presence of legislatures aligns with Pakistan’s broader digital transition agenda and the government’s e-governance goals, as outlined in successive development plans.

FAFEN urges parliamentary leadership across all legislatures to develop and adopt common standards for information availability and presentation on their websites. These standards should emphasize enhanced transparency, user-friendly design, and improved citizen engagement, enabling the public to access timely, accurate, and comprehensive legislative information.

FAFEN’s report on Parliamentary Transparency and Openness assessed the availability, usability and accessibility of content and features on the official websites Senate, National Assembly, and Provincial Assemblies of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, employing the framework by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in its Guidelines for Parliamentary Websites. The recommendations offered in these guidelines were adapted to the Pakistani context.

According to the assessment, the Senate website leads by ensuring the availability of over two-thirds (69 percent) of the IPU-recommended information and features on its platform. Punjab Assembly closely follows with 64 percent and the National Assembly 61 percent adherence to the recommendations. These platforms provide more comprehensive and user-friendly access to legislative information, setting a higher benchmark for transparency and accessibility. However, the Provincial Assemblies of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan lag significantly behind with 51 percent, 40 percent and 38 percent scores, respectively.

The report underscores that over the past two decades, parliamentary websites in Pakistan have undergone significant evolution. Initially limited in scope and rarely updated, they now offer regular updates on plenary sessions, committee activities, and individual legislators.

A key shortcoming identified is the limited use of accessibility features across all six websites. While the National Assembly and Punjab Assembly platforms incorporate some accessibility options, none meet the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) criteria recommended by the IPU.

Additionally, the technical nature and fragmented presentation of information make these websites difficult to navigate for the general public. Most content is uploaded in non-interactive PDF formats, hindering the integration of datasets. For instance, while individual members’ activities are detailed in verbatim debates, this information is not aggregated or displayed in a user-friendly manner on their profiles, making it challenging to assess overall performance.

Another trend observed in recent years is the frequent revamping of parliamentary websites, which in some cases occurs with little regard to preserving historical information. This disrupts the continuity of information, making it challenging to track past legislative records and trends.

To access detailed report, click here