The transparency reviews of government websites by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) reveal that provincial governments have generally outperformed the Federal Government in compliance with proactive disclosure requirements mandated by their respective Right to Information (RTI) laws.

The review, which assessed the availability of legally required information on the websites of public bodies, was conducted during 2025. While Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) emerged as the top-performing province, the Federal government’s compliance stood lowest among all governments assessed.

How do the federal and provincial governments fare in the assessment?

According to the assessment reports, the public bodies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lead with a compliance rate of 57 percent.  Sindh public bodies followed closely, securing the second position with an overall compliance of 54 percent.  Punjab public bodies ranked third with a cumulative 52 percent compliance rate.  Balochistan public bodies disclosed 48 percent of the required information.  The Federal Government public bodies recorded a compliance rate of 40 percent.

The assessment covered 190 public bodies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 61 in Sindh, 253 in Punjab, 66 in Balochistan and 40 in Federal Government.

What did the assessment process entail?

The assessment focused on the implementation of “Proactive Disclosure” clauses in the federal and provincial statues enacted in pursuance of the Article 19-A of the Constitution. These included Section 5 of the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017 (federal) and corresponding sections in provincial transparency laws including the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa RTI Act 2013, Punjab Transparency and RTI Act 2013, Sindh Transparency and RTI Act 2016, and Balochistan RTI Act 2021. These laws mandate that public bodies must proactively publish key categories of information, such as organizational structures, budgets, decision-making processes, and functions, on their official websites for public access.