KARACHI, July 24 – Addressing an awareness seminar titled “The Role of Provincial Ombudsman Sindh in Public Grievance Redressal,” Provincial Ombudsman Mohammad Sohail Rajput revealed that out of 9,000 complaints registered across Sindh’s population of 55.5 million, 6,700 cases have been successfully resolved. He attributed the relatively low number of registered complaints to limited public awareness and a lack of trust in government institutions.
The seminar was jointly organized by the Directorate of Climate and Disaster Redressal Unit, the Ombudsman Sindh Office, and the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Sindh. Rajput emphasized the office’s efforts to boost awareness through media, social platforms, public hearings, and seminars. He announced a three-month resolution timeframe for complaints to reduce bureaucratic delays and affirmed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with PRCS Sindh would be signed soon.
On climate change, Mr. Rajput drew attention to increasing natural disasters in KP and Punjab, recalling the 2020 Karachi cloudburst that dropped 287mm of rain in just six hours. He urged collaborative, inter-institutional efforts to tackle climate and disaster risks, welcoming partnerships to strengthen preparedness and response.
Highlighting institutional progress, the Ombudsman said the office has undertaken over 500 pending land and housing project complaints, now under review by a cabinet-level committee constituted by the Chief Minister of Sindh. He added that the office also takes suo motu notices in the public interest and is currently digitizing its entire complaints system. A bilingual Urdu-Sindhi website and mobile app are being launched soon to enhance accessibility.
Chairman PRCS Sindh, Mr. Rehan Hashmi, commended the Ombudsman’s work in delivering accessible justice and reaffirmed PRCS’s commitment to disaster response. He stressed the importance of informing citizens about their rights and the mechanisms available for addressing government malpractices.
The event was attended by key stakeholders including Secretary to the Ombudsman Sindh, Mansoor Abbas Rizvi, Registrar Masood Ishrat, Secretary PRCS Sindh Kanwar Waseem, Director Imdad Hussain Siddiqui, Special Secretary Education Syed Imdad Ali Shah, UNICEF Sindh Head Prem Chand, and various representatives from national and international NGOs. The seminar served as a significant step in fostering accountability, resilience, and institutional trust through public engagement and cross-sector collaboration.
