PM urges enhanced use of Citizen Portal for public empowerment, govt’s accountability

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday, while lauding Pakistan Citizen Portal for touching three million registration mark within two years, urged more people to use the forum for their empowerment as well as officers’ accountability.

“I want more people to use it (Citizen Portal). We will strengthen it further for it being the best method to register citizens’ complaints. As prime minister, it is also easy for me to know which minister or department is working well and which bureaucrat is performing bad,” he said addressing a ceremony marking the completion of two years of Citizen Portal.

Since its launching on October 28, 2018, around 3 million people registered themselves at the portal, and reported 2.7 million complaints, out of which 2.5 million were resolved.

The event was attended by the federal ministers, bureaucrats, senior officers and media representatives.

The prime minister said the portal would also help the government know the issues in administration as well as the good and bad performing ministries and departments.

He said it would also make it easier to enforce carrot and stick policy and decide the promotion, incentives and even removal of the bureaucrat from their services because the new civil service rules provided for termination of the corrupt or bad performing officers.

Appreciating the performance of Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (PMDU) Incharge Adil Safi and his team, the prime minister said the portal would change the public mindset besides their empowerment.

He said since the beginning, the country could not do away with the elitist mindset, inherited from the British rulers.

Exemplifying the highly empowered western people and service delivery of their governments, the prime minister said the Madinah State also gave the very concept of people’s empowerment and public service.

He said contrary to the colonial systems or monarchies, the democratic systems had given voice to the masses and made the governments answerable.

The Citizen Portal is also a journey toward the very direction of making the people know their rights, he added.

Commenting on the statistical analysis, the prime minister observed that highest number of complaints related to municipal issues, showed that local govt system was not working properly.

However, he said the new local government system would revolutionize the area, making the people directly elect their representatives who would also control the funds.

“This will be the best way to address their municipal issues,” he commented.

The metropolitans like Lahore and Karachi would have their own governments and revenue generation besides independent systems for municipal services.

The prime minister also expressed pleasure over the overseas Pakistanis also benefiting from the forum, who also faced several issues back at home particularly the illegal occupation of their properties by land mafia.

He also encouraged the people particularly in Punjab and Sindh to report the complaints against police officials or assistant commissioners seeking bribe, assuring that the government would make them accountable.