Pakistan's National Assembly Paid Lawyers $125,000 to Withhold Information

Pakistan's National Assembly Secretariat spent more than 35 million rupees on private lawyers between 2022 and 2026. These legal fees were allegedly paid to argue against the release of information in cases filed under the Right to Information (RTI) laws. This practice aims to suppress details that citizens are legally entitled to access.

The highest spending occurred in the fiscal year 2022-23, when 20.4 million rupees were disbursed to eight lawyers. Subsequent years saw continued expenditure, with 2.64 million rupees in 2023-24, 11.1 million rupees in 2024-25, and 1.61 million rupees in FY2025-26. These figures were disclosed following an order from the Pakistan Information Commission.

The information became public in compliance with the Commission’s order in Appeal No. 5626-04/2026. Journalist Saddia Mazhar filed the appeal under the Right of Access to Information Act, 2017. The National Assembly Secretariat revealed it had empanelled 10 special counsel to contest cases on its behalf since January 2022. These lawyers include Hafiz S.A. Rehman, Irfan Qadir, Ilyas Siddiqui, Arfat Ahmed Chaudhary, and Amaa.