NA body told: ‘Public Grievances Management Policy’ approved to resolve complaints of overseas Pakistanis

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs that the ministry approved a comprehensive “Public Grievances Management Policy” to resolve the complaints of overseas Pakistanis.

The Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs’ meeting was held on Friday under the chairmanship of Rana Iradat Sharif Khan at the Parliament House on Friday.

In an effort to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Prime Minister's Public Affairs and Grievances Wing, a briefing was provided to the Committee on Parliamentary Affairs about the wing’s operations.

Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Secretary Humaira Ahmed told the committee that the ministry has recently approved a comprehensive “Public Grievances Management Policy” that focuses on increasing the national outreach, improving the current grievance system, implementing a grievance tracking system and accelerating the complaint resolution process.

She said that in this regard, an extensive outreach plan has been chalked out to create visibility for the public, utilisation of complaints for improved service delivery by the concerned departments, better access to the applicants though an awareness campaign and better procession and resolution of grievances.

About the outreach plan, he said that we are going to establishment of cell center in the wing, provision of universal access number for complaint registration, displaying of banners/standees in prominent places to create awareness, requesting Pakistan Post Officer for allocation of dedicated post box for receipt of complaints and conduct regular meetings with focal person of each province etc.

She said that the Public Affairs and Grievances Wing addresses the concerns of non-digitally enabled citizens and Pakistan’s diaspora abroad, aiming to provide relief and resolve their issues.

The committee commended the performance of the ministry and recommended further revamping of the mechanism to ensure faster complaint resolution. The committee urged the ministry for improving the visibility of the wing through advertising campaigns, allowing more people to benefit from its services.

Furthermore, the Standing Committee extended its condolences to the victims of the recent gun attack on a passenger van, in Parachinar which claimed 42 lives, and offered prayers for the departed souls.

The meeting was attended by Members National Assembly, Shaikh Aftab Ahmed, Raja Qamarul Islam, Chaudhary Mahmood Bashir Virk, Malik Shah, Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Mujahid Ali, Ali Muhammad, Hameed Hussain, Khurram Shahzad Virk, Shahida Begum. The secretary and senior officers of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs also attended the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024