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FAISALABAD, Feb 27 (APP):Number of complaints filed with the office of Federal Ombudsman has recorded a phenomenal increase due to the confidence of people enjoyed by this institution, said Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, Federal Ombudsman.
Addressing a meeting in Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) here on Tuesday, he said that during last year the federal ombudsman office resolved 194,000 complaints in addition to submitting 27 recommendations to provide free justice at doorsteps of the masses.
He said that earlier Wafaqi Mohtasib was receiving only 20,000 complaints while its number has now jumped to 194,000 and it is expected to cross the limit of 2 to 2.5 lacs within the next year. These complaints are positively resolved within 60 days while the percentage of resolved complaints is 99.9 %, he added.
He said that 9 million expatriates are sending precious foreign exchange of $ 30 bn per annum and efforts have been made to solve their problems on top priority basis.
He said that 150,000 complaints are also included in the total complaints resolved by this office. Appeals against the decisions of the federal ombudsman could be lodged with the President of Pakistan but its percentage is hardly 0.4 %, he added.
He said that article 34 is being exploited to resolve the complaints which could not fall within the purview of the federal ombudsman. “In this connection Alternate Dispute Resolution mechanism has been evolved”, he said and added that the consent of both parties is imperative for this system.
He said that five sector specific ombudsmen are working in Pakistan but their total complaints are far less than those received by the Wafaqi Mohtasib and this office provided much needed relief regarding 180 federal departments and divisions of the country.
He said that he has been elected as President of Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) because of the excellent performance of this office.
He expressed satisfaction that the federal ombudsman office is working without any political interference and his election as President AOA is a privilege for Pakistan.
He appreciated the contribution of the business community and said that he wants to digitize this system to facilitate businessmen.
Earlier, Dr Sajjad Arshad Acting President FCCI welcomed the guests and introduced Faisalabad and FCCI. He said that Faisalabad is the second largest industrial hub of Pakistan which is contributing 60 % toward textile exports of the country in addition to providing jobs to the 40% workforce.
About FCCI, he said that it has 9300 members who belong to 118 different sectors and sub-sectors of the economy. He said that the chamber tries to resolve the problems of the business community at district, provincial and federal level.
He said that FCCI members are also contributing their role in social welfare and very recently they built the damaged houses of the flood affectees.
He said that Faisalabad has renowned research institutions including University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), National Institute for Biotechnology & Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Nuclear Institute for Agriculture & Biology (NIAB) and Ayub Agricultural Research Institute (AARI) which are playing a key role in the uplift of the agriculture sector.
He also congratulated Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi on his election as President AOA.
Former Presidents FCCI Sheikh Ashfaq Ahmad, Rana Sikandar Azam, former President Faisalabad Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FWCCI) Madam Nighat Shahid, Sanaullah Khan Niazi, Muhammad Azhar Chaudhry, Malik Amin, Farooq Dogar and Dr Jaffar Hasan Mubarak participated in the question-answer session.
Later, Vice President FCCI Hajji Muhammad Aslam Bhalli offered vote of thanks while Dr Sajjad Arshad presented FCCI memento to Federal Ombudsman Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi.
Qureshi also presented an insignia of Federal Ombudsman to Dr Sajjad Arshad Acting President FCCI.
Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi also recorded his impression in the FCCI Visitor’s Book.
He also addressed the media persons before leaving the chamber in addition to inaugurating a Complaint Desk at FCCI.
Later, the federal ombudsman also visited “Saylani Markaz” and inaugurated upgradation of its computer lab. He appreciated welfare activities of Saylani Center and urged the people to extend their whole-hearted cooperation in this regard.
He said that welfare of the children takes a high priority with our office and referred to the Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act 2020 and a bill on the Prevention and Control of Cybercrimes against Children Act. A Grievance Commissioner is also working in the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat for resolution of the problems being faced by the children, he added.