Citizens may file applications to ombudsman for free legal help

Applicants can file complaints if they are aggrieved by actions of any govt dept

RAWALPINDI: Citizens can now submit applications to Punjab ombudsman to get free of cost legal help in case of complaints against provincial government departments and institutions. The applications can be submitted to the Punjab ombudsman regional office, old district council building, and Rawalpindi district courts.

According to a Rawalpindi spokesperson, the website of the Punjab ombudsman has been developed to provide direct access to all members of the public - particularly, the citizens who are aggrieved by the actions of any official of the Punjab government.

He informed that the Punjab ombudsman has the mandate to protect the rights of the people, ensuring adherence to the rule of law, diagnosing, redressing and rectifying any injustice done to a person through maladministration and suppressing corrupt practices.

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The applications against the Punjab government departments may be sent at [e-mail] and www.ombudsmanpunjab.gov.pk.

The complainants would be updated about their applications through Short Message Service (SMS) sent on their mobile phone numbers, he added.

The landline telephone numbers 051-9292793 to 95 of Rawalpindi office could be used to get further information, he added. The citizens can now get justice even if they are unable get legal services from other government departments or if they are facing inordinate delays of their legal work.

They can also get justice against the unprofessional conduct of any officials concerned. However, he added that the applications against under trial cases or about matters which had already been decided by the courts.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13^th, 2019.