PESHAWAR: After the enactment of Right to Information (RTI) and Access to Time Bound Public Service laws, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government in Pakistan is poised to introduce another piece of law to prevent public officeholders, including governor, chief minister and speakers of the provincial assembly, from seeking private interests while exercising public duties.
The Law that would be called Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Conflict of Interest Act 2014 will also establish clear conflict of interest and related post-employment principles for public officeholders, including governor and chief minister of the province, speaker and deputy speaker of the provincial assembly, advisors, special assistants and consultants to the chief ministers, advocate general, additional advocate general, assistant advocate general, political secretary, judges of the high court or that of subordinate judiciary holding an office or post in the service of the province, chairman or vice-chairman of a district council, a municipal committee, a municipal corporation or a metropolitan corporation.
According to its draft, the new law will minimise the possibility of conflicts arising between the private interests and public duties of public officeholders.
An independent commission will also be established with the mandate to determine the measures necessary to avoid conflict of interests.
The law will envisage that a public officeholder will be in a conflict of interest when he or she exercises an official power, duty or function that provides an opportunity to further his or her private interests or those of his or her relatives or friends or to improperly further another person’s private interests.
INTERNEWS
