By Syed M. Ilyas.
The Wafaqi Mohtasib’s institution, in its long journey of over four decades, has emerged as a truly poor man’s court serving the people and the downtrodden with exemplary zeal and dedication. The institution is dispensing free and expeditious administrative justice to the victims of maladministration, having its presence at twenty-six cities across the country. It believes in transparency, inclusivity and accountability, upholding the core values of Ombudsmanship. Serving the underserved and less privileged has been its hallmark and the guiding principle. It has over the years taken steps to enhance its efficiency and efficacy besides fine tuning its complaints handling mechanism comprising investigation, appraisal, review and implementation of its findings/decisions.
During the year 2024, incidence of complaints rose from 194,106 to the highest ever number of 226,372 (showing an increase of 17%) and disposal reached an all-time high of 223,198 as compared to the figure of 193,030 in the year 2023 (indicating an increase of 16%). The Office also recorded an impressive increase in the implementation rate of its decisions/findings during 2024, which reached 93.21% as compared to 85.70% for the year 2023. In financial terms, total relief equivalent to Rs.8.22 billion was provided to the complainants during 2024 as compared to Rs. 4.9 billion in 2023.
The ever-increasing number of complaints is, in fact, an outcome of various initiatives including opening of new regional offices across the country, holding Khuli Katcheries, launching of the Informal Resolution of Disputes (IRD) mechanism and the visits of Ombudsman’s Inspection Teams to various service delivery agencies, in addition to leveraging technology for enhanced accessibility. There is no requirement to hire services of an advocate nor the complainants have to face lengthy legal processes as the cases are disposed of within the prescribed limit of sixty days. The procedure for filing a complaint is simple as it can be done without visiting the Office personally, either by post or through email or mobile app. Hearings can be organized online, too, whereby the elderly or the poor complainants are saved of any discomfort in the process.
While resolving individual complaints relating to maladministration, this Office has not lost sight of the need for introducing long-term reforms with a view to addressing systemic issues. It has so far prepared 80 studies/reports, which focus on crucial areas such as pension reforms, jail reforms, national savings, street children in ICT etc. By addressing systemic issues, the Ombudsman’s Institution strives to introduce long-term improvements in public administration.
This approach ensures that the institution remains a powerful agent of change. It is no longer a mere complaint redressing office, but an architect of good governance in the country. It aligns its operations with the internationally acclaimed benchmarks like the Paris Principles and the Venice Principles in addition to the guidelines contained in the UNGA Resolution 79/177 for the ombudsman and the mediator institutions worldwide.
Similarly, the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s commitment to upholding the children’s rights is manifested in the appointment of Grievance Commissioner for Children providing institutional mechanism and collaborative endeavours with other stakeholders in the country. It has been instrumental in the enactment of the Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act 2020. This Act reflects the country’s commitment to adapt its legal framework to modern challenges, providing a robust mechanism for addressing threats to children’s safety and well-being.
Grievance Commissioner’s office for Overseas Pakistanis in the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat offers yet another important service to the Pakistani diaspora. It provides institutional framework for addressing individual complaints and systemic issues faced by overseas Pakistanis. One Window Facilitation Desks (OWFDs) established on the direction of Wafaqi Mohtasib at all international airports of the country to facilitate overseas Pakistanis and their families have been functioning well. In addition, Focal Persons have been appointed in Pakistan Missions abroad to personally hear and resolve problems faced by the overseas Pakistanis.
The Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman)’s institution is discharging its statutory functions in fulfilment of the Constitutional obligations of the State. Over 2 million households have so far benefited from its services, which offer groundswell of support for its operations. Providing prompt relief to those facing administrative excesses, discrimination, exploitation, negligence and inefficiency at the hands of the government agencies or its employees is central to the concept of ombudsmanship and the means to achieving the ultimate goal of good governance.
