Bureaucratic tangle and illiteracy are major obstacles to right to information, which is key to transparency and accountability. needed for smooth functioning of democracy in South Asian countries.

This was observed yesterday by participants at a three-day international workshop on 'Right to Information in South Asia", organised by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHR1).

Media representatives, legal experts, teachers, scholars, social workers and human rights activists from the South Asian countries are participating in the workshop that began at a city hotel on Monday.

They underscored the need

for a "common reference law” for the right to information, giving priority to the interest of the silent majority.

In the morning, there was a panel discussion on constitutional and legal provisions related right to information in South Asian countries, compared to those in some other countries. This was followed by another session on 'right to information and media freedom'.

Later, the participants dwelt on preparing a set of recommendations for the SAARC governments. basing on the. recommendations adopted at the Commonwealth Law Ministers conference held at Trinidad and Tobago in May this year.

The recommendations will be presented at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference to be held at Durban, South Africa, in November this year. Maja Daruwalla, Director of CHRI said, summing up the discussions.

Among others. Barrister Tania Amir. Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, former law minister of Pakistan, Deepika Udagama from Sri Lanka. Bharat Upreti from Nepal, Abha Joshi and Vikram Khub Chand from India, Ghazi Salahuddin from Jang group of newspapers in Pakistan and Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star participated in discussion.

Fakhruddin Ebrahim said

Pakistan is yet to have any law regarding right to information. During his tenure as law minister. a draft was prepared but it never saw day light as his government did not survive long. The successor government drafted another. A copy was sent to him for review and comments, which he did accordingly. But there has been no progress so far. he said.

Deepika Udagama. a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Law. Colombo University, said the Sri Lankan constitution does not provide the right to information directly. "We have only a clause on freedom of expression, through which people can seek the right to information".

Nepalese lawyer Bharat Upreti said the right to information can come in the form Of human rights. The new Nepalese constitution incorporates fundamental rights. But there is a debate on which information should be given and which should not be given, he said.

Vikram Khub Chand, an Associate Research Professor of Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research said in many countries including India, constitutions allows right to information but it is yet to be implemented fully.

Referring to the scenario in Bangladesh, Barrister Tania Amir said Bangladesh has bought eight Mig 29s from Russia with tax payers' money, which may have a crunch on the foreign exchange reserve. But information on the purchase remains a 'defence secret'. "People's right to information can not be denied in the name of state or defence secret." she said.

Ghazi Salahuddln, Director of Jang group of newspapers said illiteracy remains a barrier to right to information, which undermine press freedom in Pakistan.

“The right to information is as our right to breathe." said Mahfuz Anam. Editor of The Daily Star. He described it as a fundamental right which is essential for growth of democracy, transparency and accountability.

John Mukela, Executive Director of Nordic-SADC Journalism Centre in Mozambique gave an overview of freedom of press in southern Africa. Press freedom is fundamental to transition to democracy and progress, he said.