Dedicated Cell for Overseas Pakistanis Established in Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat

Dedicated Cell for Overseas Pakistanis Established in Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat

As a part of ongoing process within the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat to increase relevance of Wafaqi Mohtasib as an instrument of accountability and good governance in Pakistan, Mr. M. Salman Faruqui, Acting Wafaqi Mohtasib has established a dedicated cell in the Ombudsman Secretariat with a view to provide Pakistanis living abroad a direct, quick and free of charge recourse to the Ombudsman for redressal of their complaints against mal-administration in any government agency.

Following exchange of views with heads of Pakistan missions abroad, the Wafaqi Mohtasib has asked the Foreign Office to designate an officer in our missions abroad who would be responsible for forwarding the complaints received from overseas Pakistanis to the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s Office. To enable members of expatriate community use this facility on line, the missions have been asked to provide, through their websites, a link to the Wafaqi Mohtasib’s website. The expatriate Pakistanis are also encouraged to approach Wafaqi Mohtasib directly as the complaints can be registered on line at OR they can forward them through e-mail on . The missions have also been directed to give wide publicity to the initiative of the Wafaqi Mohtasib.

The newly created cell will be headed by Ambassador (R) Sher Afgan Khan, Adviser and former Special Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr. Sher Afgan Khan belongs to the Foreign Service of Pakistan which he joined in 1971. During his 37 years of government service, he held important positions both at home and in diplomatic missions abroad. He also served as Pakistan’s Ambassador to Thailand and Turkey.

The office of the Wafaqi Mohtasib has assumed a vital role in providing people access to quality public services and improvement of public administration, accountability and transparency.This important function has transformed the institution into one where ordinary citizens are provided prompt and free of cost relief against mal-administration, delays, apathy and indifference in government agencies. The introduction of a dedicated cell for overseas Pakistanis is a highly relevant initiative taken by the Wafaqi Mohtasib to address systemic issues.

The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis has also applauded this initiative as it would greatly help in redressing grievances of expatriate Pakistanis. On an average, 2,000 complaints are filed each month by the citizens against various government agencies. It was also suggested that in missions where Community Welfare Officers are in place, the task of handling these complaint may be assigned to them.