Federal Ombudsman to extend 'Swift Complaint Resolution System'

The Federal Ombudsman Thursday decided to extend its "Swift Complaint Resolution System" to 133 districts and 511 sub-districts with an aim to decide public complaints at their doorsteps within 25 days.
Federal Ombudsman Salman Faruqui while speaking at the launching ceremony regarding 'Instant Public Complaints Resolution Mechanism' in 181 federal ministries, departments and agencies, said, "It is our commitment to make justice available to the people at their doorstep. We have set up 13 regional offices at Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Sukkur, Multan, Faisalabad, DI Khan, Hyderabad, Swat, Hub, Gujranwala and Bahawalpur to process and dispose off the complaints early."
Under instant public complaints resolution mechanism, every department has nominated a focal person designated as Grievance Liaison Officer to entertain and resolve complaints relating to this department within 15 days.
"The pace of complaints handling has been accelerated. Encouraged by the results, we are now going to 133 districts and 511 sub-districts and are deciding every complaint within 25 days under the Swift Complaint Resolution System," he added. Addressing the focal persons appointed by their respective departments, he said the idea behind launching the mechanism was to install an in house institutional system for redressal of grievances and thereby improve the governance status of the departments. "Accessibility to the complainants as Grievance Officer of your agency could make a great difference," he added.
He said that all over the world, the primary and pivotal function of the institutions of ombudsman is to rectify injustice by the government agencies. Faruqui said that Federal Ombudsman office was established in Pakistan in 1983 and till 2012 an average of 16,500 complaints were redressed every year, but there was no time limit in providing of relief.
After a thorough study of the shortcomings in 1983 Presidential Order, and extensive consultations with practitioners and the civil society, he had proposed reforms in the laws relating to five Federal Ombudsmen, which were considered in depth by the Parliament and the new law was promulgated during March 2013.
He said that as per the new reforms, Ombudsmen were mandated to decide complaints in no more than 60 days, while appeals in 45 days. Ombudsmen have been conferred with the powers of the civil courts to implement their findings, he added. The Federal Ombudsman said, "Till 2014, we were deciding every complaint within 60 days and had cleared the backlog of 75,000 complaints inherited in 2013, which were two to 10 years old. By 2015, every complaint was being decided in 45 days and we named the process as Speedy Complaint Resolution."
"We are also hearing and deciding complaints of overseas Pakistanis through Skype or video conferencing facilities," he said. He said, "We have provided relief to almost 300,000 families during his tenure so far and there is zero pendency."
Secretary Law & Justice Commission of Pakistan, Muhammad Sarwar Khan said that the Ombudsman is one of the crucial organisations that seek to put the system in order, but unfortunately it does not get the prominence it deserves. It is an organisation which enjoys the potential and importance." He added that it enabled citizens to have access to justice and get their rights.
Senior Advisor Law / Grievance Commissioner for Overseas Pakistanis Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmed Khokhar, briefing the participants about instant public complaints resolution mechanism said that as per instructions of Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat, all federal government departments have established their complaints resolution cells and have appointed complaint grievance officers within their departments for resolution of public complaints within 15 days.
Khokhar said that the complaint system of government department has also been interconnected with Ombudsman Complaints System for the early resolution of public complaints. "In case the complaints would not get resolved within given time of 15 days, then the system of Federal Ombudsman Secretariat would intervene for hearing of public complaints," he added.