Nasira Ashfaq vs Director General Safe Cities Authority, Punjab arts

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Nasira Ashfaq VS Director General Safe Cities Authority, Punjab arts. 19 & 19-a---Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), 1948, art. 19---International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)---European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)---american Convention on Human Rights---Right to information---Object, purpose and scope---Right to information is a fundamental human right recognized and protected by international human rights jurisprudence---Such right is often considered essential for functioning of democratic societies and is closely linked to the principles of transparency, accountability and right to freedom of expression---Right to information empowers individuals to assess information held by public authorities fostering informed decision-making and civic engagements and preventing corruption---article 19 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted in 1948 enshrines right to information, which states: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression, this right includes freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers"---Such provision lays foundation for right to information as an integral component of freedom of expression---International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), another cornerstone of international human right law, reinforces the right to information in art. 19, which echoes sentiments expressed in UDHR emphasizing significance of freedom of expression and recognizing pivotal role of access to information---Regional human rights instruments such as European Convention on Human Rights, (ECHR) and american Convention on Human Rights incorporate provisions related to right to information---Provision of article 10.1 of ECHR states:"Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers"---On a global scale, United Nations (UN) has been actively promoting right to information---U.N. General assembly in its resolution 59/1 recognized "freedom of information as a fundamental human right and…. the touchstone of all the freedoms to which United Nations is consecrated."---U.N. also designated September 28 as International Day for Universal access to Information to emphasize importance of such right---Right to information is not absolute---Legal provisions often allow for restrictions, particularly in national security, public order and safety, personal privacy, commercial interests, law enforcement, state secrets, intellectual property rights and prevention of hate speech and defamation---Challenge lies in balancing right to access information and other societal interests---International human rights instruments stress that any restriction should be prescribed by law, and should be necessary, proportionate and serve legitimate objectives.

Nasira Ashfaq vs Director General Safe Cities Authority, Punjab arts — 2025 PCrLJ 233 LAHORE-HIGH-COURT-LAHORE

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