01-02-2008, 10:56 PM
A question so often raises what was the reason that despite different multiple efforts by the governments there is no improvement in our general conditions and our well of national ills instead of decreasing keeps on more stinking. There could be many answers and reasons but the major one is that we are all âTalqeen Shahsâ advising and wishing reforming others but invariably taking it as guaranteed that we ourselves are exempt from that advice or need to reform. May it be a leader, an ombudsman, a judge, a teacher or whosever every one is a true Talqeen Shah. Nawaz Sharif advised one dish but within a week he was seen in press photograph having more than a dozen meals. The argument given was it was only one dish â all different meals put in one dish. The most honoured people in the country are our learned judges who take note of violation of laws by others. They read and teach through their lectures and decisions how laws and legal principles should be honoured. But same advisers by passing the nationâs collectively made constitution recognize a single man made constitution. Our judges get allotted plots despite knowing such an offer of allotment was in violation of the rules. Our leaders advice the citizens for simple life but themselves live in most luxurious hotels refusing to stay in a lesser standard hotel. I know an Imam Sahib who lends money on interest to other needy.
Some time back I addressed Habib Bank Limited Head Office now a privatized bank. What was the matter is not a point here. I kept on sending reminders but did not get any response. If a Head Office of a public dealing organization did not give response to public despite reminders one can well understand what the subordinate local level functionaries or Departments under it would be caring a response to the public. There is a rule enacted by our ex British rulers, as usual a good rule and likewise as usual existing in our every good governanced government, which makes it mandatory for each official working in any federal or provincial Ministry, division, department, autonomous or semi autonomous body etc to âimmediately and invariablyâ acknowledge receipt of a communication received from member of the public followed by an invariable final reply when case is complete. The tendency of non response of course had increased. In 1988 I raised this issue drawing the attention to this rule. At this the Cabinet Division had to issue a circular as a refresher drawing attention of all 4 Chief Secretaries and sundries to this rule including a copy to me. But who cares.
Now seeing on expense of we the citizens as has become it a tradition to keep on establish new office under different labels a new banking Mohtasib office in a high rent building was established. I raised with it this issue of non response by the Head Office of the Bank. The non response in technical knowledge of ombudsman system is termed as âact of mal administrationâ. It may be of interest to mention here that after a joint meeting the then Federal Ombudsman and the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court declared that non response was the mother cause of public frustrations. They also observed that 70% of public complaints can die. Almost the same thing once General Ziaul Haq observed. The Banking Mohtasib did not register my complaint on the ground that the bank today was privatized hence such rules are not binding on such units. This was not and is not acceptable to me as a tax payer citizen of this country. When UBL was privatized the State Bank informed me in writing that despite privatization the SBP still had administrative jurisdiction over it. On privatization of MCB in a complaint from Muree it took a stand that it was now privatized. The Federal Ombudsman directing relief to the complainant observed the bank was not merely transferred to private owners with assets only but also with its obligations to the account holders, the public and the nation.
Nation is led to believe that privatization brings âefficiencyâ which we all know what type of. The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation is an example of it, not forgetting May 2007 statement from the then Communication Minister HE Mr. Babar Ghouri from educated MQM, that the KESC has so far concentrated on âearningâ back its invested capital.
These Banks as a layman I understand have partially (except for ABL) been sold to private owners. The major share still is with the government. Hence it is wrong to say the Government has no control over such sold out institutions. Secondly even if a unit is privatized to me as a lay man it is never that the new owners are âmadir pidar azadâ from observing the law of land. They are of course free to adopt their own policies for internal running but within the purview of the law of land. A private unit say KESC still is to observe the daily working hour fixed for an employee under labour laws. If the government announces 3 days flag lowering on death of BB, the privatized KESC or say HBL is bound to adhere to it. These foreign investors can not refuse flag lowering on the plea they were foreigners.
Four times I addressed State Bank of Pakistan if now the privatized HBL was free from our rule/regulation viz prescribed rule of invariable reply as contained in Annexure âAâ to Secretariat Instructions Manual. Each time I got a response âthank you, within 48 hours someone from SBP will revert back to youâ. Dozens and Dozens of 48 hours have passed. I enquired from Privatisation Commission if on sale of these units they still are to observe our prescribed rule/regulations like above quoted rule for invariable response to public. The Commission tactfully avoiding the point tells me to contact the SBP. Whereas the units are sold by privatization commission and only it can tell if sale conditions also contained that these units are madir pidar azad. I repeatedly addressed the Cabinet Division to whom the above rule relates and who issued it as a refresher on my raising the issue. Despite reminders no âinvariable and immediate acknowledgementâ which in other words mean as per our national tradition Cabinet Division was exempt from acting on its own advice given to other Ministries, Divisions semi autonomous bodies. By the way last but not the least had thus a huge office named as Banking Mohtasib been established only for two units namely â State bank and national Bankâ out of which one namely NBP is too being considered for privatisation. This also gives answer to some surprising eye brows as to how in a country where there is unscheduled acute electricity load shedding even in December and January how and how the foreign investors come.
Some time back I addressed Habib Bank Limited Head Office now a privatized bank. What was the matter is not a point here. I kept on sending reminders but did not get any response. If a Head Office of a public dealing organization did not give response to public despite reminders one can well understand what the subordinate local level functionaries or Departments under it would be caring a response to the public. There is a rule enacted by our ex British rulers, as usual a good rule and likewise as usual existing in our every good governanced government, which makes it mandatory for each official working in any federal or provincial Ministry, division, department, autonomous or semi autonomous body etc to âimmediately and invariablyâ acknowledge receipt of a communication received from member of the public followed by an invariable final reply when case is complete. The tendency of non response of course had increased. In 1988 I raised this issue drawing the attention to this rule. At this the Cabinet Division had to issue a circular as a refresher drawing attention of all 4 Chief Secretaries and sundries to this rule including a copy to me. But who cares.
Now seeing on expense of we the citizens as has become it a tradition to keep on establish new office under different labels a new banking Mohtasib office in a high rent building was established. I raised with it this issue of non response by the Head Office of the Bank. The non response in technical knowledge of ombudsman system is termed as âact of mal administrationâ. It may be of interest to mention here that after a joint meeting the then Federal Ombudsman and the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court declared that non response was the mother cause of public frustrations. They also observed that 70% of public complaints can die. Almost the same thing once General Ziaul Haq observed. The Banking Mohtasib did not register my complaint on the ground that the bank today was privatized hence such rules are not binding on such units. This was not and is not acceptable to me as a tax payer citizen of this country. When UBL was privatized the State Bank informed me in writing that despite privatization the SBP still had administrative jurisdiction over it. On privatization of MCB in a complaint from Muree it took a stand that it was now privatized. The Federal Ombudsman directing relief to the complainant observed the bank was not merely transferred to private owners with assets only but also with its obligations to the account holders, the public and the nation.
Nation is led to believe that privatization brings âefficiencyâ which we all know what type of. The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation is an example of it, not forgetting May 2007 statement from the then Communication Minister HE Mr. Babar Ghouri from educated MQM, that the KESC has so far concentrated on âearningâ back its invested capital.
These Banks as a layman I understand have partially (except for ABL) been sold to private owners. The major share still is with the government. Hence it is wrong to say the Government has no control over such sold out institutions. Secondly even if a unit is privatized to me as a lay man it is never that the new owners are âmadir pidar azadâ from observing the law of land. They are of course free to adopt their own policies for internal running but within the purview of the law of land. A private unit say KESC still is to observe the daily working hour fixed for an employee under labour laws. If the government announces 3 days flag lowering on death of BB, the privatized KESC or say HBL is bound to adhere to it. These foreign investors can not refuse flag lowering on the plea they were foreigners.
Four times I addressed State Bank of Pakistan if now the privatized HBL was free from our rule/regulation viz prescribed rule of invariable reply as contained in Annexure âAâ to Secretariat Instructions Manual. Each time I got a response âthank you, within 48 hours someone from SBP will revert back to youâ. Dozens and Dozens of 48 hours have passed. I enquired from Privatisation Commission if on sale of these units they still are to observe our prescribed rule/regulations like above quoted rule for invariable response to public. The Commission tactfully avoiding the point tells me to contact the SBP. Whereas the units are sold by privatization commission and only it can tell if sale conditions also contained that these units are madir pidar azad. I repeatedly addressed the Cabinet Division to whom the above rule relates and who issued it as a refresher on my raising the issue. Despite reminders no âinvariable and immediate acknowledgementâ which in other words mean as per our national tradition Cabinet Division was exempt from acting on its own advice given to other Ministries, Divisions semi autonomous bodies. By the way last but not the least had thus a huge office named as Banking Mohtasib been established only for two units namely â State bank and national Bankâ out of which one namely NBP is too being considered for privatisation. This also gives answer to some surprising eye brows as to how in a country where there is unscheduled acute electricity load shedding even in December and January how and how the foreign investors come.