FAISALABAD: Numbers of complaints filed with the office of Federal Ombudsman have recorded a phenomenal increase due to the confidence of people enjoyed by this institution, said Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, Federal Ombudsman.
Addressing a meeting in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI), he said that during last year the federal ombudsman office resolved as many as 194,000 complaints in addition to submitting 27 recommendations to provide free justice at the doorsteps of the masses.
He said that earlier this office was receiving only 20,000 complaints while its members have now jumped to 194,000 which are expected to cross the limit of 2-2.5 lacs within the next year.
He said that these complaints are positively resolved within 60 days while the percentage of resolved complaints is 99.9. He said that 9 million expatriates are sending precious foreign exchange of $30 billion per annum and hence efforts have been made to solve their problems on top priority basis. He said that 1.5 lac complaints are also included in the total complaints resolved by this office.
He said that appeals against the decisions of the federal ombudsman could be lodged with the President of Pakistan but their percentage is hardly 0.4. He said that article 34 is being exploited to resolve the complaints which could not fall within the purview of the federal ombudsman.
“In this connection Alternate Dispute Resolution mechanism has been evolved”, he said and added that the consent of both parties is imperative for this system. He said that five sector specific ombudsmen are working in Pakistan but their total complaints are far less than those received by the federal ombudsman. He said that this office provided much needed relief regarding 180 federal departments and divisions of the country.
He said that he has been elected as President of Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) because of the excellent performance of this office. He expressed satisfaction that the federal ombudsman office was working without any political interference and his election as President AOA is a privilege for Pakistan. He appreciated the contribution of the business community and said that he wants to digitize this system to facilitate businessmen.
Earlier Dr Sajjad Arshad Acting President FCCI welcomed the guests and introduced Faisalabad and FCCI. He said that Faisalabad is the second largest industrial hub of Pakistan which is contributing 60% toward textile exports of the country in addition to providing jobs to the 40% workforce.
About FCCI, he said that it has 9300 members who belong to 118 different sectors and sub sectors of the economy. He said that chamber tries to resolve the problems of the business community at district, provincial and federal level.
He said that FCCI members are also contributing their role in social welfare and very recently they built the damaged houses of the flood victims. He said that Faisalabad has renowned research institutions including UAF, NIBGE, NIAB and AARI which are playing a key role in the uplift of the agriculture sector.
He also congratulated Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi on his election as President AOA and hoped that he would play his dynamic role in smashing the idols of the departmental tyranny.
Former President Sheikh Ashfaq Ahmad, Rana Sikandar Azam, former President FWCCI Madam Nighat Shahid, Sanaullah Khan Niazi, Muhammad Azhar Chaudhry, Malik Amin, Farooq Dogar and Dr Jaffar Hasan Mubarak participated in the question-answer session.
Later Vice President Haji Muhammad Aslam Bhalli offered vote of thanks while Dr Sajjad Arshad presented FCCI memento to Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi Federal Ombudsman. Qureshi also presented an insignia of Federal Ombudsman to Dr Sajjad Arshad Acting President FCCI. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi also recorded his impression in FCCI visitor’s book. He also addressed the media persons before leaving the FCCI.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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