The Wafaqi Mohtasib, Mr. Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi has said that enhanced public awareness is the key to promoting an effective Ombudsman Institution, responsive to the wishes and aspirations of the people. He was inaugurating an Online Seminar on ‘Building Public Awareness – An Essential Features of Ombudsmanship’. It was also attended by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed apart from the members of the Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA). He said that being the premier organization of administrative accountability, the office of the Wafaqi Mohtasib is striving for quick and free of cost redressal of public complaints. “We are presently focusing on the poor, downtrodden and marginalized segments of the society and a robust awareness campaign is being pursued to educate the general public about the availability of this forum, particularly in the remote and far-flung areas of the country”, he added. Mr. Qureshi further observed that promoting the weal and welfare of the common man was our ultimate objective and we are confident that by doing so, we would ultimately be ushering in good governance and the rule of law. Inclusivity and greater outreach are the most essential characteristics of a successful Ombuds System, he said. Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed also addressed the Online Seminar as the keynote speaker. He said that there is a dire need to reach out to those who are facing administrative excesses and mal-administration on part of the public sector entities. “The Office of the Wafaqi Mohtasib is one of the most important and effective platforms to address the issues of omission and commission of these bodies and to ameliorate the lot of the public”, he maintained. Commending the performance of the Wafaqi Mohtasib Office in successfully handling large number of complaints, he hoped that greater use and reliance on IT tools and awareness raising campaign would help achieve the laudable objective. He urged the media to help publicise the goals of Ombudsmanship. It may be informed that the online seminar was being organized under the aegis of Asian Ombudsman Association (AOA) of which Pakistan is the current President. The Federal Ombudsman of Pakistan, Mr Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi was elected unopposed as the President of the 47-Member strong body last year and the AOA secretariat is located within the premises of the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat, Islamabad.
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