Daily Times

Federal Ombudsman Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi Thursday said said that since April 2022, 1911 complaints were received under Informal Resolution of Disputes (IRD) out of which 1837 had been resolved while 74 were under process.

He was speaking at a webinar organized by the Ombudsman Secretariat on “IRD: Pakistan’s Experience from the platform of Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA)”. He said the IRD initiative added value to the services of the institution in addressing issues of maladministration and promoting good governance, the rule of law, and the fundamental freedoms. The ombudsman highlighted the main features of the IRD system in administering free and expeditious justice to the general public through mediation and conciliation without the necessity of docketing any complaint or issuing any official notice.

The Ombudsman’s institution being a Poorman’s court, was addressing complaints of maladministration by Federal Agencies in large numbers, he added. Qureshi said that the IRD mechanism involved resolution of disputes through mediation and persuasion rather than a decision arrived at through following a strict process or procedure. He emphasized that the IRD system responded to the dire needs of the general public for resolution of dispute at grass roots level without hiring the services of an advocate or waiting for lengthy legal processes.

The Webinar was attended by over 70 participants representing member institutions of the Asian Ombudsman Association including Azerbaijan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and other countries. It was also attended by the representatives of Ombudsmen institutions functioning in the country including Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Banking Mohtasib, Federal Tax Ombudsman and the Regional Offices of the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat. The Webinar was addressed by ShahzarIlahi, Associate Director of ADR Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in Pakistan. Justice M Raza Khan, formerly Chief Justice KPK High Court and the Federal Secretary, Law and Justice Division spoke about the practices and procedures of IRD in the context of Wafaqi Mohtasib’s institution.

Addressing the participants, Wafaqi Mohtasib Mr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi added that the IRD mechanism involves resolution of disputes through mediation and persuasion rather than a decision arrived at through following a strict process or procedure. He emphasized that theIRD system responds to the dire needs of the general public for resolution of dispute at grass roots level without hiring the services of an advocate or waiting for lengthy legal processes. Mr. Qureshi stated that from April 2022 till today, 1911 complaints were received under IRD out of which 1837 have been resolved while 74 are under process.

The Webinar was attended by over 70 participants representing member institutions of the Asian Ombudsman Association including Azerbaijan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and other countries. It was also attended by the representatives of Ombudsmen institutions functioning in the country including Provincial Ombudsman Sindh, Banking Mohtasib, Federal Tax Ombudsman and the Regional Offices of the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat. The Webinar was addressed by Mr. ShahzarIlahi, Associate Director of ADR Centre for Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in Pakistan. Mr. Justice M. Raza Khan, formerly Chief Justice KPK High Court and the Federal Secretary, Law and Justice Division spoke about the practices and procedures of IRD in the context of Wafaqi Mohtasib’s institution.

Wafaqi MohtasibMr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi who is the current President of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA), further stated that the Webinar was part of the series of activities planned for promoting professionalism, cooperation and ombudsmanship in Asia and beyond. He offered that Pakistan remained ready to share its expertise and best practices on subjects of professional interest withmembers of other regional and international ombudsman associations.

Ejaz Qureshi, who is the current President of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA), further said that the webinar was part of the series of activities planned for promoting professionalism, cooperation and ombudsmanship in Asia and beyond. He offered that Pakistan remained ready to share its expertise and best practices on subjects of professional interest with members of other regional and international ombudsman associations.