06-18-2010, 08:02 PM
Talking with the tax bar association My Lordship the most honourable Mr. Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhary showing his determination that the âjustice should be done even the heaven fallsâ stressed that the noble legal profession should deliver the justice âat door stepsâ. Earlier My Lordship had stated that giving justice was the job of all stakeholders.
âJustice at door stepsâ is a phrase used by each successive ruler and his minion as a fashion spiritlessly without even knowing what does it mean just like the slogan of roti, kapra and maakan. This senior citizen does not has much interest in politics, however, it is his firm belief that whether Gen. Zia was a dictator or what else but ALLAH the Great definitely will place him in heaven for two noble deeds the late General did namely (i) introducing practically the cheap-at-doorstep justice system named Ombudsman and (ii) banning of the loudspeakers in mosques. As Gen. Ziaâs intent was very honest in providing cheap-at-doorstep justice ALLAH The Great provided him a man who equally had true honest intent to dispense of true natural justice exactly in above lines. Mr. Justice Sardard Mohammad Iqbal the first Ombudsman Pakistan whom the most serious English Daily a few years back termed as an ombudsman âso far unmatched forâ truly delivered justice at-the-door step of the aggrieved. With his departure, according to a retired Director General of the Ombudsman Secretariat that spirit of serving the ailing also went off.
Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) âtypedâ a circular letter on 28 January 2010 addressed to thousands of Pakistanis scattered all over the world directing them to deposit their next due installment of plots by 31 January failing which causes 16% penalty. Can any sane person expect within this 3 days completion of all this process even if both OPF and an addressee lived in Islamabad let alone the addresses living in USA, Middle East, etc? Only a person who either has either no sense or there is some other ill motive like to fetch from the pockets of addresses ensuring they all invariably pay 16% penalty to be spent like 35 million âspentâ on invisible development work as found by the parliamentary committee, can hope this to happen. Low and hold your breath. The letter was practically posted to some on 4 February and to some on 7 February i.e. 4 and 7 days after the last date on which the payment was supposed to be at the table of OPF said official.
The was an issue affecting thousands but from the generally lethargic society we today live in as a conscientious citizen and as a civic minded person knowing well my rights I raised the complaint with the Federal Ombudsman; the protector of citizens rights who according to his own word is the âCitizens Friendâ as inscribed on his departmentâs post franking machine. The Federal Ombudsman was kind in accepting my complaint when the investigation officer a Consultant sent me a response from the defendant OPF for my rejoinder. I pointed out to the Consultant that the OPF two page reply contained different stories but not a single word on the issue raised namely giving just three days for a letter to be posted from Islamabad, reaching abroad, addressee to take some action, give response and finally the response to reach Pakistan all within 3 days plus dispatching the notice after expiry of last date which act was nothing but a sheer negligence, apathy, fooling the people, an act of mal administration. The Consultant sitting in an office which General Zia created for inexpensive and at-the-door justice advised me to attend a hearing in his Islamabad Office adding that I should also bring documents in evidence.
The copy of OPF letter posted to all dating 28 January and asking response by 31st January is the biggest evidence in presence of which this senior citizen having 40 longs office experiences can not even think of there can be any other better proof. Is it not a perfect documentary evidence showing even to an illiterate that just a 3 day margin for the whole process a proof enough? My attendance for presenting me before the learned Consultant in Islamabad would cost approximately Rs. 100,000 as I live in Middle East. Has I been in USA or Europe it would had cost me Rs. 225,000 approximately. Mathematically if not âwasting, was spending this Rs. 100,000 better or better sense to prevail to just three to five thousand as 16% penalty?
During 1983 when the Federal Ombudsman was established till perhaps 1995 I do not remember if I while living abroad or any one else there ever received any personal attendance notice from the Federal Ombudsman (and of course from the Sindh Ombudsman) against my dozens of such complaints against banks, customs, PIA, Telephone Department, Pakistan Posts etc. In 1995 I had the opportunity to meet the Sindh Ombudsman. On my enquiry he told me he does not summon a complainant from Islamabad let alone from abroad knowing well what it costs already an aggrieved traveling Islamabad to Karachi. These personal attendances started after 195-96 and sometime I rightly wondered if all the then Ombudsmen and consultants, advisers working under them were all incompetent that they investigated the complaints, delivered true natural shining justice â all without having "glanced" the complainants faces before them. Some 8-10 years ago a lady Director General from the Federal Ombudsman Karachi summoned one of my colleague who was then working with me abroad. This investigation lady officer had directed the complainant to come to Pakistan for a hearing with last 12 years telephone bills. I can not forget the face expression of the complainant wondering from where he brings 12 months bills as he never had any phone in his home nor had he applied for one but the lady Director General summoned him just merely reading the word Telephone Department in the complaint.
There is beyond any reasonable doubt that today majority of our bureaucracy connected with dealing the ordinary man has lost normal humanity. August 2008 a primary pass labourer went abroad. Soon he met with a work site major accident wherein the running machine cut his throat, crushed his fingers, punctured his jaw etc. Immediate medical attention saved the dying man. Due to stitching of throat the wind pipe had narrowed through which even the liquid food did not pass. Every 2-3 days he was taken to hospital for a glucose energy drip to keep him alive. He remained lying on floor for months unable to move, could not speak etc. He approached the Federal Ombudsman that the Government charged from him high fee in the name of Protector of Immigrants but no one from the Protector or the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation had looked towards him for any practical help including that the State Life did not give him any response despite his having a mandatory Overseas Immigrants Insurance Police No. Q-0308458. Low and hold - the Federal Ombudsman dealing official showing not even the remotest human sympathy for a bed stuck dying man asked the complainant to come to Pakistan for a Hearing. This is the height of stone heart. More than one and a half year has passed. Last month a relative of the complainant met me telling me that the injured had to undergo more operations in Pakistan and did not get any insurance money against his State Life Policy which prvoes that the forced compulsory policy as well as the so called âProtector of Immigrantsâ high fee charged is nothing but a sort of pick pocket to keep feeding an army of unrequired personnel in unnecessary created departments like say the Protector of Immigrants Office. During my 26 years stay abroad very actively having remained attached with the Pakistani community club there at least I never saw any welfare having been received by any suffering Pakistani while in trouble. I do remember that My Lordship Chief Justice of Pakistan has recently perhaps twice taken suo moto note of issuance of appearance notice to the sick and old Mrs. Nussrat Bhutto. Even a matriculate clerk can tell that in this case there was not the remotest need of presence of the complainant in any Hearing except for the concerned Government Department to explain.
From those organs created specifically for practically delivering at-the-doorstep justice and on which huge is being spent (in the words of Air Marshal Asghar Khan in which there is a large army either nothing or very little to do) today there is no hope of such delivery of justice where mostly after retirement luch ones are mostly enjoying re-employment. It is only and the only last new hope is that perhaps after the present the present day deliberately created problems get solved My Loardship Mr. Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhary and his equally kind hearted associateds and team may perhaps be able to deliver the real justice really at the door step of the aggrieved. My sincere prayers are with My Lordship and his team as I last almost lost hopes from our present day ombudsman system but since I have no alternate hence despite having no good hopes of natural justice I keep knocking at the door of this system.
âJustice at door stepsâ is a phrase used by each successive ruler and his minion as a fashion spiritlessly without even knowing what does it mean just like the slogan of roti, kapra and maakan. This senior citizen does not has much interest in politics, however, it is his firm belief that whether Gen. Zia was a dictator or what else but ALLAH the Great definitely will place him in heaven for two noble deeds the late General did namely (i) introducing practically the cheap-at-doorstep justice system named Ombudsman and (ii) banning of the loudspeakers in mosques. As Gen. Ziaâs intent was very honest in providing cheap-at-doorstep justice ALLAH The Great provided him a man who equally had true honest intent to dispense of true natural justice exactly in above lines. Mr. Justice Sardard Mohammad Iqbal the first Ombudsman Pakistan whom the most serious English Daily a few years back termed as an ombudsman âso far unmatched forâ truly delivered justice at-the-door step of the aggrieved. With his departure, according to a retired Director General of the Ombudsman Secretariat that spirit of serving the ailing also went off.
Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) âtypedâ a circular letter on 28 January 2010 addressed to thousands of Pakistanis scattered all over the world directing them to deposit their next due installment of plots by 31 January failing which causes 16% penalty. Can any sane person expect within this 3 days completion of all this process even if both OPF and an addressee lived in Islamabad let alone the addresses living in USA, Middle East, etc? Only a person who either has either no sense or there is some other ill motive like to fetch from the pockets of addresses ensuring they all invariably pay 16% penalty to be spent like 35 million âspentâ on invisible development work as found by the parliamentary committee, can hope this to happen. Low and hold your breath. The letter was practically posted to some on 4 February and to some on 7 February i.e. 4 and 7 days after the last date on which the payment was supposed to be at the table of OPF said official.
The was an issue affecting thousands but from the generally lethargic society we today live in as a conscientious citizen and as a civic minded person knowing well my rights I raised the complaint with the Federal Ombudsman; the protector of citizens rights who according to his own word is the âCitizens Friendâ as inscribed on his departmentâs post franking machine. The Federal Ombudsman was kind in accepting my complaint when the investigation officer a Consultant sent me a response from the defendant OPF for my rejoinder. I pointed out to the Consultant that the OPF two page reply contained different stories but not a single word on the issue raised namely giving just three days for a letter to be posted from Islamabad, reaching abroad, addressee to take some action, give response and finally the response to reach Pakistan all within 3 days plus dispatching the notice after expiry of last date which act was nothing but a sheer negligence, apathy, fooling the people, an act of mal administration. The Consultant sitting in an office which General Zia created for inexpensive and at-the-door justice advised me to attend a hearing in his Islamabad Office adding that I should also bring documents in evidence.
The copy of OPF letter posted to all dating 28 January and asking response by 31st January is the biggest evidence in presence of which this senior citizen having 40 longs office experiences can not even think of there can be any other better proof. Is it not a perfect documentary evidence showing even to an illiterate that just a 3 day margin for the whole process a proof enough? My attendance for presenting me before the learned Consultant in Islamabad would cost approximately Rs. 100,000 as I live in Middle East. Has I been in USA or Europe it would had cost me Rs. 225,000 approximately. Mathematically if not âwasting, was spending this Rs. 100,000 better or better sense to prevail to just three to five thousand as 16% penalty?
During 1983 when the Federal Ombudsman was established till perhaps 1995 I do not remember if I while living abroad or any one else there ever received any personal attendance notice from the Federal Ombudsman (and of course from the Sindh Ombudsman) against my dozens of such complaints against banks, customs, PIA, Telephone Department, Pakistan Posts etc. In 1995 I had the opportunity to meet the Sindh Ombudsman. On my enquiry he told me he does not summon a complainant from Islamabad let alone from abroad knowing well what it costs already an aggrieved traveling Islamabad to Karachi. These personal attendances started after 195-96 and sometime I rightly wondered if all the then Ombudsmen and consultants, advisers working under them were all incompetent that they investigated the complaints, delivered true natural shining justice â all without having "glanced" the complainants faces before them. Some 8-10 years ago a lady Director General from the Federal Ombudsman Karachi summoned one of my colleague who was then working with me abroad. This investigation lady officer had directed the complainant to come to Pakistan for a hearing with last 12 years telephone bills. I can not forget the face expression of the complainant wondering from where he brings 12 months bills as he never had any phone in his home nor had he applied for one but the lady Director General summoned him just merely reading the word Telephone Department in the complaint.
There is beyond any reasonable doubt that today majority of our bureaucracy connected with dealing the ordinary man has lost normal humanity. August 2008 a primary pass labourer went abroad. Soon he met with a work site major accident wherein the running machine cut his throat, crushed his fingers, punctured his jaw etc. Immediate medical attention saved the dying man. Due to stitching of throat the wind pipe had narrowed through which even the liquid food did not pass. Every 2-3 days he was taken to hospital for a glucose energy drip to keep him alive. He remained lying on floor for months unable to move, could not speak etc. He approached the Federal Ombudsman that the Government charged from him high fee in the name of Protector of Immigrants but no one from the Protector or the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation had looked towards him for any practical help including that the State Life did not give him any response despite his having a mandatory Overseas Immigrants Insurance Police No. Q-0308458. Low and hold - the Federal Ombudsman dealing official showing not even the remotest human sympathy for a bed stuck dying man asked the complainant to come to Pakistan for a Hearing. This is the height of stone heart. More than one and a half year has passed. Last month a relative of the complainant met me telling me that the injured had to undergo more operations in Pakistan and did not get any insurance money against his State Life Policy which prvoes that the forced compulsory policy as well as the so called âProtector of Immigrantsâ high fee charged is nothing but a sort of pick pocket to keep feeding an army of unrequired personnel in unnecessary created departments like say the Protector of Immigrants Office. During my 26 years stay abroad very actively having remained attached with the Pakistani community club there at least I never saw any welfare having been received by any suffering Pakistani while in trouble. I do remember that My Lordship Chief Justice of Pakistan has recently perhaps twice taken suo moto note of issuance of appearance notice to the sick and old Mrs. Nussrat Bhutto. Even a matriculate clerk can tell that in this case there was not the remotest need of presence of the complainant in any Hearing except for the concerned Government Department to explain.
From those organs created specifically for practically delivering at-the-doorstep justice and on which huge is being spent (in the words of Air Marshal Asghar Khan in which there is a large army either nothing or very little to do) today there is no hope of such delivery of justice where mostly after retirement luch ones are mostly enjoying re-employment. It is only and the only last new hope is that perhaps after the present the present day deliberately created problems get solved My Loardship Mr. Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhary and his equally kind hearted associateds and team may perhaps be able to deliver the real justice really at the door step of the aggrieved. My sincere prayers are with My Lordship and his team as I last almost lost hopes from our present day ombudsman system but since I have no alternate hence despite having no good hopes of natural justice I keep knocking at the door of this system.
