ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday passed the ‘Ombudsmen Institutional Reforms Bill 2013’ with amendments, which aims at providing vast powers to the Ombudsman Office for speedy justice, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported.
The sources said that the bill, moved by Law Minister Farooq H. Naek, provides for making institutional reforms for standardizing and harmonizing the laws relating to Federal Ombudsmen institution and ancillary or akin matters,
Earlier, on 1 February, the cabinet approved the Ombudsman Institutional Reforms Bill 2013.
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said after the cabinet gave its consent to the bill, that the existing 11 ombudsmen institutions will be unified under the proposed bill. “If Parliament approves the bill, it will empower the toothless tiger,” he said referring to the office, adding that there were over 45,000 appeals pending for disposal before the federal ombudsman.
Furthermore, a four-year term has been proposed for the ombudsman, who can only be removed according to the prescribed manner for the removal of a judge of the Supreme Court. All government departments will be obligated to respond to the ombudsman’s queries within a fortnight, while the ombudsman will also be bound to dispose appeals within 45 days.
Under the bill, appeals against the ombudsman’s decisions can only be filed to the president, who will be bound to dispose of the appeal within 120 days.
The House also passed ‘The Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2013’ today. The bill provides for the establishment of Pakistan Psychological Council to register psychologists and related institutions in the country. It was moved by Riaz Fatyana.
DND
