The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has instructed the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to submit a list of employees who hold dual nationality or are married to foreign nationals within 10 days, as required by the Right to Access to Information Act 2017.
Chief Information Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui and Information Commissioner Ijaz Hassan Awan highlighted that petitioner Azmat Khan had requested details about SBP officers and employees and their affiliations with various NGOs, community development organizations, or nonprofits. The petitioner also sought information on any actions the SBP had taken against employees with dual citizenship, those married to foreign nationals, or those providing consultancy to international NGOs and institutions.
The Chief Information Commissioner declared that the information requested constitutes a public record, affirming that the central bank cannot claim exemptions under the Right to Access to Information Act. Although the SBP contended that this act did not cover the requested details, the Commissioner clarified that it is the Commission’s prerogative to make such determinations, not the SBP’s.
Furthermore, the SBP had filed a review appeal against the decision to release the information, arguing that they had not been adequately heard in the case. In response, the commission stated that it had issued notices to the SBP and made the decision following their failure to appear.
In their appeal, the SBP argued that a similar case Rana Abrar v State Bank of Pakistan—had led to the suspension of the Commission’s orders by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) based on the SBP’s appeal. However, the Commission noted that the SBP’s claim of an IHC stay order in the current case was inaccurate, as the SBP had lodged no such challenge in the high court for this particular decision.
Both positions presented by the SBP in their review appeal were ultimately dismissed. The public information officer and director of legal SBP, Khawar Rana, indicated they had not yet received the commission’s orders.
