STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Slamming the government for its failure to reconstitute an Information Commission more than a year after the fall of the Hasina regime, Transparency International Bangladesh yesterday called for the immediate formation of an effective and independent commission.

“Although the interim government has taken several initiatives towards state reforms, no steps have been taken to make the Information Commission functional or to reform the RTI Act,” said TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman in a statement issued on the occasion of International Day for Universal Access to Information.

“Despite repeated recommendations from civil society and statements in the media, no action has followed. This indifference to protecting citizens’ right to information is deeply unfortunate -- and marks one of the interim government’s major failures,” said Iftekharuzzaman.

The anti-corruption watchdog urged the appointment of qualified individuals, free of conflicts of interest, as commissioners through a transparent process.

At the same time, TIB called for necessary amendments to the Right to Information (RTI) Act 2009 and comprehensive reforms to transform the Information Commission into an effective and independent institution.

Iftekharuzzaman further noted that even when citizens file RTI applications, in the absence of an active commission, complaints remain unheard and unresolved.

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