Muzaffarabad(Daily P.Times): The office of the Ombudsman is a premier institution that plays a vital role in providing timely, accessible and low cost means for people to resolve their disputes with government agencies, said Sardar Masood Khan, President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while addressing the members of the Forum of Pakistan Ombudsman (FPO) here at the Presidency.
The President on the occasion praised the efforts of the Ombudsman form all over Pakistan for independently working for the welfare of the citizens by helping investigate and resolve their issues. He said that this institution helps keep a check on the working of the government machinery and minimises malpractices relating to administrative responsibilities.
President Masood Khan praised the efforts of Zafar Hussain Mirza, Ombudsman AJK for organizing the conference of the FPO in AJK. He commended Mr. Mirza for making the event memorable and extending hospitality to the guests coming from all over Pakistan.
FPO is the only body for all the Ombudsman/person of Pakistan which regularly comes together to discuss various pertinent issues concerning their functioning and other matters relating to procedural formalities for the timely redressal of complaints received from the general public.
President AJK, while addressing his audience, informed them of the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir, saying that the Indian occupation forces are brutalizing the innocent people of Kashmir. He said horrendous human rights violations are taking place in IOK, which include arbitrary arrests, homes being vandalized, illegal imprisonment of political leaders, extrajudicial killings and dishonouring of womenfolk.
He called for the international community to take note of these violations and bring India to task for the crimes against humanity being perpetrated in IOK. He said that India will never succeed in subduing the peaceful freedom struggle of the Kashmiris through its policy of force and state-terrorism.
The President thanked the people and Government of Pakistan for its steadfast and resolute stance on Kashmir. He said that Pakistan’s continued political, diplomatic and moral support to the people Kashmir for attaining their right to self-determination is a testimony of their perseverance towards amicably resolving this issue in accordance to the UN Security Council’s Resolutions.
Rubbishing the Indian narrative of terrorism in IOK and cross-border infiltrations, the President said that the only terrorism in IOK is the state-terrorism by the Indian occupation forces. He said that there are no unauthorized border crossing along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary. He added that India’s claim of the issue as a bilateral one between Pakistan and India was based on absolute falsehood, adding that the people of Kashmir are the key constituents to the dispute and no resolution can be sought by excluding their political will.
President Masood Khan urged forging unity amongst our ranks and approaching the international forums with renewed vigour for the amicable resolution of this conflict. He added that by using traditional and modern means of media we must ingress into the global civil society, including the civil society of India. We must struggle for an economically, politically and diplomatically strong Pakistan, as a strong Pakistan would mean greater hope for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute, he said.
The event was attended by Mr. Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera, President FPO; Syed Tahir Shahbaz, Federal Ombudsman; Ms. Kashmala Tariq, Federal Ombudsman for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace; Mr. Zaffar Hussain Mirza, Ombudsman of Azad Jammu and Kashmir; and the Provincial Ombudsman from Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The President on the occasion also gave away shields to the member of FPO.
