ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi visited office of Wafaqi Mohtasib and had briefing on complaints received and resolved by Ombudsman to ensure prompt relief to citizens during year 2023.

“Wafaqi Mohtasib has resolved 193,028 complaints against maladministration of government departments and provided relief worth Rs 4.898 billion to citizens,” Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman) Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi said during briefing, according to President Secretariat press release.

Mohtasib processed record 194,099 complaints during 2023, with processing witnessing surge of 18 percent while disposal of complaints increased by 22 percent as compared to 2022.

Furthermore, on recommendations of Wafaqi Mohtasib, as many as 18,000 street children were enrolled in government schools in Islamabad. Briefing President, Federal Ombudsman highlighted role and performance of institution.

Meeting was informed that 85.4 percent of Wafaqi Mohtasib’s decisions were implemented last year, with efforts underway to further improve ratio of implementation.

It was stated that increased use of technology in Mohtasib had enhanced people’s accessibility, with 48,190 complaints registered online in 2023, marking an increase of 47 percent from 2022. Similarly, 22,321 complaints were received through Mohtasib’s mobile App in 2023, representing 21 percent increase from 2022.

Meeting was also briefed on Integrated Complaint Resolution System, processing 18,469 complaints in 2023, alongside Mohtasib’s teams conducting khuli kutcheries and inspection visits to address people’s grievances against government agencies. Additionally, 2,113 cases were disposed of through Informal Resolution of Disputes. During meeting, steps taken for facilitation and resolution of complaints filed by Overseas Pakistanis were highlighted.

Mohtasib informed that awareness campaign undertaken by Ombudsman had greatly increased its outreach and helped address people’s complaints at their doorsteps.

President Alvi lauded performance of Wafaqi Mohtasib, stating that it was doing remarkable job by providing prompt relief to people.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 08 2024

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