The institution of the Wafaqi Mohtasib was established in January, 1983 and has continued functioning till date. The success of this institution in addressingills of maladministration is reflected in the fact that not only have Ombudsman's Offices been created in the provincial government but also a range of such offices has been created in different specific sectors of federal government like tax, banking. insurance and protection of women against harassment at work pace etc. As more and more people got aware of the functioning of this easily accessible institution for expeditious and cost free resolution of their grievances against government agencies, the number of complaints grew with the consequential increase in the redressal of the grievances. Over the years, 17 Regional Offices of the WMS have
been created which are redressing the grievances of the complainants by using latest information technology tools. Besides, systemic reforms have been undertaken to address the root causes of the complaints and a number of initiatives have been taken for the betterment of the aggrieved citizens. The WMS has also contributed meaningfully for promotion of Ombudsmanship at international level and currently the Wafaqi Mohtasib is the President of the Asian Ombudsman Association.
In order to analyze the evolution process of the WMS, the entire period of 40 years has been divided in three time slots for the purpose of having a broad view of the significant aspects of the evolution process. The details of these significant aspects are as follows:
1983 to the year 2000
In the formative phase, it was initially in 1985 that the then Wafaqi Mohtasib highlighted the need to add a new dimension to the institution's conceptual and operational framework in the context of eradication of maladministration. He also made a number of other recommendations for enhancing efficiency and responsiveness in the government functioning in general as well as specific aspects
of administration.
The establishment of regional offices of the WMS in the provincial capitals was notified in January, 1983 and with the support of the government, a regional office each was actually established at Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta in the years 1984-85 which enabled the WMS to start working with full force.
In the year 1986 the then President Gen. Muhammad Zia UI Haq visited the WMS and indicated that he had urged upon the provincial governments to establish this worthwhile and useful institution which had proved its efficacy, effectiveness and relevance for the welfare of the people and dispensation of justice.
Earlier in the year 1990, President Mr. Ghulam Ishaq Khan issued a directive to all Agencies exhorting them to promptly implement the recommendations of the Wafaqi Mohtasib and extend their full cooperation to him.
In 1995, the then Prime Minister directed all the Federal Agencies to ensure compliance promptly in respect of the cases involving pension, gratuities or other benefits arising on retirement; for giving preference in employment to the widow or children of deceased/retired employees in grade 1 to 11 as per relevant recruitment rules; for appointment of women against their reserved quota; medical expenses; insurance claims; utility bills; compensation or remission allowed to widows, orphans,
invalids or incapacitated persons where the amount was not more than Rs.5 lac in an individual case and was permissible under the law.
In 1996, Pakistan had the unique honour of successfully pioneering the formation of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA). It was a great privilege to have an international organization established with its secretariat in the Office of the Wafaqi Mohatasib at Islamabad. The Wafaqi Mohtasib of Pakistan became the first President of the AOA and continued to hold this prestigious position till the year 2013 when there was a gap in appointment of regular Mohtasib. Pakistan has not
only been hosting the meeting of the Board of Directors of the AOA at Islamabad but has ever since been contributing a lot in promotion of the concept of Ombudsmanship internationally.
In 1999, the first draft of the Regulations for Investigation and Disposal of Complaints was prepared. The draft was based on the consolidated circulars issued in 1987 and actual investigation practice evolved over the years. Most of the investigation procedures were introduced by Pakistan's first Mohtasib, Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Iqbal. The Regulations were approved and circulated among all the Investigation Officers in October, 1999. These Regulations were subsequently amended slightly in the years 2003 and 2013 to bring in greater clarity.
It was in the year 2000 that the then Chief Executive, Gen. Pervez Musharraf visited the WMS and directed the concerned authorities of the Govt. to look into the proposal for grant greater financial and administrative autonomy to WMS and establishment of its regional offices. Consequently, 4 new regional offices were establishment at Sukkur, Multan, Faisalabad and D.I Khan in June, 2000.
2001 to the year 2016
This period reflects a rapid transformation of the WMS in the context of institutional reforms, expansion of its scope of activities, enhanced ability to deal with public complaints, lot better office accommodation facilities, availability of modern technology for registration and monitoring the processing and disposal of complaints. New mechanisms were introduced to provide for expeditious disposal of public complaints. Great emphasis was placed on implementation of the decisions
of the Mohtasib and the Implementation wing was strengthened. Revolutionizing the complaint processing mechanism, a Complaint Management Information System (CMIS) was conceived by the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat (WMS) in the year 2005 and was formally launched in July 2007, under
the Access to Justice Program. This is a state-of-the-art system, which is palpably contributing towards the efficient functioning of the WMS.
In the years 2015 & 2016, the Wafaqi Mohtasib constituted a number of committees of experts and professionals to look into the root causes of persistent complaints against various agencies and to suggest remedial measures. The committees undertook exhaustive studies and submitted their reports which were forwarded to the government for further consideration and implementation of the
recommendations contained in the reports.
2017 to the year 2022
In this period the focus of attention of the WMS remained on resolving maximum number of complaints and pursuing the implementation of the recommendations of the reports prepared in the context of systemic reforms. Greater than ever reliance was placed on the use of latest information technology tools for registration, processing and disposal of complaints as well as monitoring the implementation of the recommendations / decisions of the Wafaqi Mohtasib. Besides, focused attention was paid on enhancement of public awareness about the functions of the WMS and the results turned out to be very positive.
During the period, the WMS has evolved and grown into a premier organization of administrative accountability. He has tried to live up to its mandate and has continuously stove to improve its functioning and standards over the years.
Interestingly, greater use of information technology during this period has remarkably
increased the outreach of the WMS further and has made it easily accessible to
the public to a far greater extent. The initiatives taken by it to carry out systemic
reforms and to facilitate the general public further enhanced the stature and clout
of this institution in this period.
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