The office – which has been vacant since 2010 – takes notice of public complaints against the federal government and its ministries, divisions, departments and other attached bodies. The two-year vacancy of the office has led to the racking up of over 75,000 complaints of people aggrieved of actions or inactions of federal institutions.
Salman Farooqui called on the prime minister on Saturday and thanked him for the trust reposed in him, while the prime minister expressed hope that Farooqui’s long-time experience in the government would help him clear the backlog of complaints, till the appointment of an ombudsman on a regular basis. Farooqui said he had accepted the assignment as a public service and would work in a honourary capacity.
Farooqui has previously served as secretary to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and as additional secretary to former prime minister Muhammad Khan Junejo. He has also served as deputy chairman of the Planning Commission and ambassador-at-large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The office of the federal ombudsman has been vacant since October 2010 after Javed Malik retired.
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