MIRPUR, December: Several complaints against federal government institutions operating in Azad Jammu and Kashmir were disposed of on the spot during an open court held by a team of the Federal Ombudsman in Kotli on Friday, officials said.
The open court was conducted on the directives of Wafaqi Mohtasib Mr. Ijaz Ahmed Qureshi and was attended by senior officials, including Director General of the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat Mr. Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed and Consultant Mr. Khalid Sial. The team heard complaints in person and issued immediate instructions to concerned departments for redressal.
One of the notable cases involved a retired army hawaldar, Mr. Muhammad Siddique, who complained that his pension had been stopped for 18 months after he was mistakenly declared dead in official records. According to the complaint, his pension was being paid to an unknown woman listed as his widow. The complainant appeared before the open court in person and clarified that he was alive and had no relation to the individual receiving his pension. The officers took immediate notice of the matter and directed the Controller Military Accounts to resolve the issue.
A large number of complainants participated in the open court, submitting grievances against institutions including the Higher Education Commission, Postal Life Insurance, Controller Military Accounts, Benazir Income Support Programme, Pakistan Post Office, Agricultural Development Bank, National Savings, and various federal and AJK government departments.
While several complaints were resolved on the spot, others were referred to the heads of relevant departments for prompt action. Complaints pertaining to AJK government departments were advised to be forwarded to the appropriate provincial forums.
Following the proceedings, Federal Ombudsman officials briefed media representatives on the powers, scope, and procedures of the Ombudsman institution. They informed the public that any citizen can submit a complaint on simple paper and that each case is decided within 60 days.
Officials further shared that the Federal Ombudsman decided more than 223,000 complaints last year, a record achievement, while the number of complaints for the current year is expected to exceed 200,000, reflecting growing public trust in the institution.
