Zero-backlog of cases : Ombudsman disposes over 0.2m cases in three years

Currently there is zero-pendency of cases, says Wafaqi Mohtasib

ISLAMABAD: While the courts struggle to clear a backlog of roughly 1.7 million cases across the country, the Federal Ombudsman (Wafaqi Mohtasib) has performed outstandingly with no cases pending, and having decided over 200,000 cases in the past three years.

The federal ombudsman has disposed of a total of 213,000 cases in the past three years filed against various institutions, organisations and agencies falling within the jurisdiction of the federal government.

“The office of mohtasib has materialised the slogan of providing quick and inexpensive justice to poor as currently there is zero pendency of cases with the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat,” said the Federal Ombudsman, Salman Faruqui.

Currently, the ombudsman said, cases were being decided in a period of 60 days and efforts were being made to curtail the period to 45 days.

“The aim is to further curtail the period to 15 days” he added.

Faruqui said that most of the complainants were poor and needy who had no money to hire services of lawyers, while the ombudsman’s office was providing free-of-cost justice to them.

Apart from deciding complaints within 60-day period, the federal ombudsman has started taking suo motu notices in issues pertaining to the delay in passport, measles outbreak, working of postal department, performance of the accountant general, pension issues, working of the Capital Development Authority and working of the country’s communication system.

Recently, while addressing federal ministries, divisions, and government departments, the ombudsman office urged them to ensure that all pension cases were processed and finalised well before the retirement dates of employees.

In the next big step, while ensuring speedy and timely justice to the general public, the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat has planned to hear public complaints at 138 districts and 435 tehsils across the country.

With certain amendments in rules, the Federal Ombudsman has been further empowered, and now it can sentence the guilty for up to six months in imprisonment. Where the disposal rate is a 100 per cent, the implementation rate is over 95 per cent, and the rate of appeals against the decisions is less than one per cent.

Earlier, the appeals against the decisions were made to the presidency, and cases used to remain pending for years but following the amendment, the presidency has been bound to decide the matter within 90 days.

While further expanding its operations, the ombudsman has established one-window facilitation desks at different airports to timely address their problems.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22^nd,  2016.