The Secretary Federal Ombudsman Secretariat (FOS), Naveed Ahmed Sheikh, Wednesday, vowed to continue efforts to provide speedy and free-of-cost administrative justice to citizens by promptly resolving their complaints and enhancing the institutions outreach and accessibility.
He was speaking at a ceremony held here at FOS regional office in Karachi to celebrate the 41st anniversary of the establishment of the institution of Wafaqi Mohtasib. The event was attended by the Senior Advisor and In charge Regional Office Karachi Syed Anwaar Hyder, other members and staffers. Secretary FOS while reading out the message of the Federal Ombudsman for the occasion stated that the office of Wafaqi Mohtasib was established in 1983 with presence in federal and provincial capital.
In the four decades it developed into a premier agency of administrative accountability with a presence in various parts of the country, he added. Besides Islamabad and four provincial capitals, the Wafaqi Mohtasib has its regional offices at Sukkur, Multan, Bahawalpur, Faisalabad, D.I Khan, Hyderabad, Gujranwala, Abbottabad, Kharan, Sargodha, Swat, Khuzdar, Mirpurkhas, Wana, and Sadda. The federal ombudsman in his message said that the ever-increasing number of complaints received was a clear manifestation of the trust and confidence of the people in the capacity of Wafaqi Mohtasib to address issues of maladministration, inefficiency, neglect and discrimination.
Emphasizing on provision of service to people closer to their homes the ombudsman renewed the commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, good governance, and the rule of law. Naveed Ahmed Sheikh said that FOS was endeavouring to further enhance the accessibility of the institution to the people by setting up more regional offices, holding public meetings in remote areas and disseminating mass awareness through electronic and print media as well as a series of awareness lectures. In charge of Regional Office Karachi Syed Anwaar Hyder, speaking at the occasion said that the institution of Wafaqi Mohtasib has resolved over 2 million public grievances.
