Oath-taking: New federal ombudsman sworn in

Secretary Establishment Syed Tahir Shahbaz takes charge

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Establishment Syed Tahir Shahbaz on Friday took oath as federal ombudsman or Wafaqi Mohtasib for a four-year term during a ceremony at the Presidency. President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath.

Shahbaz has served as chairman of the Capital Development Authority and was also one of the members of the inquiry team constituted to investigate the Dawn leaks, according to a notification.



Shahbaz has replaced former federal ombudsman Salman Farooqui after his four-year tenure ended on February 28 this year, but he still continued to work on the position till his replacement was announced, the notification stated. On July 20, he was given a farewell, it added.

An official at the federal ombudsman office told The Express Tribune that Farooqui was appointed as federal ombudsman in 2013 and brought about significant changes for a more effective functioning.



“When he joined, around 75,000 complaints were pending, which were soon addressed,” he said. “Since 2013, Wafaqi Mohtasib, on an average, received 100,000 complaints each year.”

Farooqui also reduced redressal time of grievances from 60 days to 25, besides resolving several longstanding issues, including those related to pensions, the official added.