ROLE OF OMBUDSMAN IN PROVIDING INEXPENSIVE AND EXPEDITIOUS JUSTICE TO THE PEOPLEIN PAKISTAN”

Abstract

The institution of Ombudsman is of paramount importance in the delivery of administrative justice by giving its citizens a readily available, cheap, and fast method of settling disputes with government officials. This paper will explore the effectiveness of the Ombudsman system in Pakistan, specifically accessibility, efficiency and adherence to his decisions. The mixed-method research design was chosen, which entailed the combination of quantitative data gathered on 400 complainants with structured questionnaires and the qualitative data gathered on 30 key informants, comprising the Ombudsman officials, legal experts, and policymakers. The SPSS was used to perform statistical analysis, such as chi-square, correlation and regression analysis to assess the relationship between key variables. Through the results, most of the respondents consider the Ombudsman system to be accessible (65%) and efficient (70%). Nonetheless, the adherence to the Ombudsman decisions is a major challenge with 40 percent of the respondents reporting that government departments do not adhere. The chi-square test shows that there is a significant correlation between accessibility and location, thus showing differences in the urban and rural population. Moreover, correlation and regression tests indicate that compliance is positively correlated with efficiency and negatively correlated with political interference. Qualitative results also emphasize such systemic problems as the resistance of the bureaucratic system, the influence of politics, and the lack of resources, which negatively affect the effectiveness of the institution. This paper concludes that despite the great potential of the Ombudsman system to provide affordable and prompt justice, it does not have great effects due to poor enforcement mechanisms and institutional issues. The study suggests that legal changes should be made to empower enforcement powers, institutional autonomy, resource distribution and popular awareness to enhance the overall performance of the Ombudsman system in Pakistan.