Senior Journalist and communication specialist, Riaz Khan Daudzai, was appointed as Commissioner Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Commission (KPIC) under Section 24 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Right to Information Act on July 12, 2019.
He remains to be the first commissioner of the KPIC appointed from media or civil society as his two predecessors were appointed from academia. He joined the Commission on July 15, 2020.
Riaz Khan Daudzai has brought to the KPIC 26 years of experience in reporting, telecast and broadcast journalism. He was previously associated with country’s largest media group English language paper (The News International).
After completing his education from University of Peshawar, he joined a national English daily in 1993.
Besides his Masters in Journalism from University of Peshawar, he is also a graduate in International Human Right Law of the Faculty of Law, University of Peshawar. Before joining the Commission he served the English daily Statesman as chief reporter.
As a senior anchorperson of the state-run PTV Peshawar Centre, he has been hosting Urdu and Pashto language current affairs programmes for twelve years, which have fetched public acclamation.
Besides the PTV talk shows, Riaz Khan is also moderating current affairs discussions for Radio Pakistan, Peshawar including radio talks, other engagements and current affairs programmes.
He has extensively contributed on the evolution of RTI practices in the country in general and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular.
He was also awarded the RTI Champions Award for 2018 by Coalition on Right to Information, (CRTI) for intense role to protect and promote citizens’ right to information and access to data held by public bodies.
The CRTI in award citation says, “Riaz Khan Daudzai has made an effective use of the existing national and sub-national RTI legislation in the country to do his investigative stories.”
He was also nominated by the provincial government for the Pride-of-Performance in 2017 and 2018.
The decision of his appointment as commissioner KPIC came as result of the decision of the Search Committee that met on May 23 under the former chairmanship of provincial minister for Information Shaukat Ali Yousafzai while Senior journalist Rahimullah Yousafzai, ex-vice chancellor of Engineering University Peshawar Imtiaz Gillani, ex-judge Abdul Aziz Kundi, former Secretary Administration Muhammad Imtiaz Ayub and Secretary Information Mukhtiar Ahmad attended the meeting as members.