Zubair Qureshi
WafaqiMohtasib of Pakistan, Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi on Monday briefed President Asif Ali Zardari about the performance of the office of WafaqiMohtasib stating that only last year (2023), a record 194,099 complaints regarding the maladministration of government departments were processed. This is 18pc higher than the previous year 2022.
Out of these overwhelming number of complaints, 193,028 were disposed of which is again 22pc higher than the year 2022.
The WafaqiMohtasib gave these statistics during a call on meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari and presented him the Annual Report of the Federal Ombudsman at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.
The WafaqiMohtasib briefed the president about the initiatives taken by the Federal Ombudsman.
He said that the Ombudsman was providing speedy and free-of-cost justice to the complainants against the maladministration of various government departments.
He informed that 49,190 complaints were received online in 2023, which was an increase of 47pc from last year. He added that 22,321 complaints were received through the Mobile App, showing an increase of 21pc as compared to the year 2022. He stated that the Ombudsman was using the latest technology to help in the speedy redressal of cases and to enhance its outreach to the people in remote areas of the country.
The WafaqiMohtasib highlighted that the opening of new regional offices, holding of KhuliKatcheries, launching of the Informal Resolution of Disputes mechanism, and visits of Mohtasib’s inspection teams had helped in addressing complaints, besides leading to an increase in the registration of complaints. He further said that the office of Overseas Pakistanis in the WafaqiMohtasib Secretariat had processed a record 202,367 complaints received through Pakistan Missions abroad, and One Window Facilitation Desks at all international airports of the country.
The president appreciated the performance of the Mohtasib and urged the need to take further steps to enhance its outreach so that the maximum number of people could benefit from its services.
