Mazhar Hussain Minhas: A Living Personality of Bhaun

Mazhar Hussain Minhas is a distinguished jurist who served as the Chief Information Commissioner of the Punjab Information Commission. The Minhas (Mair Minhas) are among the historic tribes of Bhaun and the surrounding Dhani region, and his work places the name of the town within Pakistan's contemporary movement for transparency and good governance.

A career on the bench and the bar

In a legal career spanning more than two decades, Mazhar Hussain Minhas served as a District and Sessions Judge and as a Judge of the Lahore High Court. He maintained his membership of District Bar Associations from 1975 onwards, giving him a rare span of experience across both the bar and the bench.

Champion of the right to information

As Chief Information Commissioner he became a vocal advocate of the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act, which came into effect on 16 December 2013. He has argued that the law helps make government more accountable — lifting the veil of secrecy over official activity and empowering citizens with the information they need to demand explanations from the administration.

On the international stage

His commitment to open government took him abroad: in September 2016 he spoke at the World Forum on Media Development in Jakarta, Indonesia, taking part in a session on "Building new partnerships to improve public access to information." It is a fitting role for a son of a region whose history this website seeks to record — carrying Bhaun's name into a global conversation about citizens' rights.

Courtesy: Punjab Information Commission and the 2016 Jakarta World Forum on Media Development (sched.com). Photograph via Sched.