The Pakistan Information Commission (PIC) has directed the Senate Secretariat to provide an inquiry report concerning a BS-20 officer whose family members allegedly sought asylum in a European country.
The order was issued on September 8 in an appeal filed by Sohail Abdullah against the Senate of Pakistan under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017.
Abdullah had requested the final inquiry report into an incident that occurred during the 148th session of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), held in Geneva in March 2024.
According to the applicant, the BS-20 officer had travelled to Geneva with his family as part of the Pakistani delegation, after which his family members allegedly applied for asylum in a European country.
The Senate Secretariat opposed the disclosure of the report, arguing that Parliament and the Senate and National Assembly secretariats are constitutional bodies protected under the Constitution and that the requested information could therefore not be disclosed.
The Secretariat further maintained that records concerning its employees had been classified by the then Senate chairman in 2019, with the classification subsequently clarified by the incumbent chairman in April 2025. It also argued that the matter was sub judice before the Islamabad High Court.
The PIC, however, determined that releasing the inquiry report would not prejudice the proceedings pending before the high court.
The commission acknowledged that the Senate chairman had the authority to classify official records but noted that the orders cited by the Secretariat did not specifically classify inquiries conducted against employees.
It further observed that disclosure of the requested information was in the public interest and that the rulings cited by the Senate Secretariat did not exempt the inquiry report from disclosure.
The commission noted that a Senate representative had confirmed that the inquiry against the officer had been completed, although no disciplinary action had been taken so far.
Partially allowing the appeal, the PIC directed the Senate secretary to provide the inquiry report to Abdullah and the commission within 10 days.
The case was adjourned until October 6, 2026, for implementation of the commission’s order.
