KARACHI:The Federal Ombudsman, Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, Friday emphasized on improving the quality of investigation of public complaints and further enhancing the ratio of implementation on decided cases so that maximum complainant satisfaction could be achieved.
He was presiding over a meeting held here at Karachi to review performance of ombudsman’s regional offices at Karachi, Hyderabad and Mirpurkhas and deliberate on issues being faced by the regional offices.
The meeting was attended by Senior Advisor and In-charge FOS regional office Karachi Syed Anwar Haider, Advisor In charge Regional Office Hyderabad Dr Syed Rizwan Ahmed, Associate Advisor In charge RO Mirpurkhas and other senior officials.
Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, speaking at the occasion, said that federal ombudsman secretariat received over 160,000 public complaints in the year 2023 and most of the complaints were investigated and decided within the stipulated time frame of 60 days. The ratio of implementation on decisions and directives has remained above 85 percent, he added.
“In the current year, the number of public complaints filed with the ombudsman secretariat is expected to cross 200,000 and we are determined to maintain the growth momentum while focusing on consolidation and quality,” he emphasized.
The ombudsman urged the advisors and other officials to ensure thorough investigation of received complaints, monitor the implementation status and get feedback from the complainants so that maximum possible satisfaction of the aggrieved public could be achieved.
The federal ombudsman expressed satisfaction on overall performance of Karachi and Mirpurkhas regional offices and directed Hyderabad office to further improve their performance while identifying the areas requiring further improvement.
Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, while talking to APP, informed that federal ombudsman secretariat has witnessed a significant growth in number of lodged complaints and we are determined to gear up the investigation process and enhancing the implementation ratio above 90 percent.
The federal ombudsman informed that he had meetings scheduled with Insurance Ombudsman and Banking Ombudsman during his ongoing visit of Karachi in which issues related to public service, reforms, and resolution of public complaints in swift and better manner will be discussed.
He identified non-availability of budget and heavy work load on public sector entities as the major constraints in implementing the decision particularly in cases of non-payment of pension and other receivables. Some entities also resort to challenge the ombudsman’s decision into the higher courts that results into inordinate delays in implementation, he added.
Ejaz Qureshi also appreciated role of media in imparting awareness about the federal ombudsman and highlighting the issues of public.
