Former Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid on Thursday termed amendments in law very necessary to empower the ombudsman to question and check the affairs of government's departments in particular to resolve the public problems effectively and immediately.
Speaking at the National Ombudsmen and Administrative Justice Conference 2009 organised by the Provincial Ombudsman Sindh to mark the second centennial of the first modern ombudsman founded in 1809, at a local hotel, he regretted that this very institution is powerless to even question illegal matters of any of the government department.
He called upon the government to provide teeth to this institution and suggested amendments in law to enable it for the betterment of governance and public's socio-economic uplift. He lamented the government-run schools are in a despair condition where children of ordinary citizens study sitting on the floor without furniture and have no toilet facilities there, while presence of teachers is always nominal.
Referring to a report of the joint-committee of FPCCI and CDGK on government administered schools, which according to him revealed the apathetic attitude of the government, as one of the schools, had no doors to toilets and furniture for students, tragically only one out of 35 teachers was present.
Justice said that such indifference of the departments towards the public problems with mal-administration is the sheer responsibility of the ombudsman to question them and hold accountable for the people's inconveniences. He also regretted that this judicial institution could not anything, as it is powerless.
About prisons' state of despair and level of corruption by police there, Nasir Aslam said that even meeting of a family with inmates is not less than an agonic ordeal which every visitor has to undergo. However, bribe in this situation could lessen the grief and tension which the police demand from everyone or deny the passage to visitors.
There is also a space problem inside prisons due to which inmates are in difficulties, while the ombudsman has no effective suo moto jurisdiction. He censured the opposition from all circles that rises to a peak after the ombudsman begins inquiry into prison issues making it wind up the initiative abruptly.
Nasir Aslam also criticised the police recruitment through bribe of Rs 20,000 per person, saying that such a mal-practice will render nothing significant to the development of society and governance, rather bring about a collapse of the whole system.
He said that rejection of merit in recruitment is the tragic phenomenon which damages the society. He urged the government to form an independent body under the judiciary to ensure the meritorious system in police department.
Earlier, Provincial ombudsman Sindh Asad Ashraf Malik presented welcome address to highlight the significance of this very institution in providing relief to people through easy justice. He said that there are some 13 offices of ombudsman in Sindh of which two are located in Karachi.
He stressed the independence of the ombudsman in carrying out its queries and investigation against any of the department of the government. He said that the ombudsman is considered in all government departments as a rival body to their existing whereas this very institution aims to help them improve their performance. Chief Guest Sindh Government Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan who had to grace the occasion could not attend the event for some reasons and Sindh Health Minister Dr Sagheer Ahmed was presented in his place.
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