KARACHI: Ibad calls for efforts to root out Karo-kari
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, July 13: Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad has stressed the need for efforts at every level to combat injustices and ensure provision of immediate and inexpensive justice and relief to the common man.
He was speaking at a function held at a local hotel here on Saturday to mark the completion of 12 years of the institution of provincial ombudsman.
The governor lauded performance of the institution and assured the ombudsman, Justice (r) Haziqul Khairi, of the government’s full cooperation in attaining its aims and objectives. The governor also ordered government functionaries to make allout efforts for the implementation of the ombudsman’s decisions.
Commending the establishment of the institution’s regional offices in Sukkur, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Larkana, the governor hoped that the initiative would benefit a large number of people, living in far flung areas of the province, in getting justice restored to them.
Dr Ibad that as part of the government’s determination to eliminate injustice from the society, he was doing his level best to get the province rid of Karo-kari — a custom under which people are killed for maintaining or thought to be maintaining illicit relations.
Stressing the need for cleansing the society of the menace of Karo-kari, he urged intellectuals, lawyers, judges and elected representatives among the audience to contribute to the government’s efforts for the noble cause.
Dr Ibad pointed out that the government had already mobilized the administrative machinery and taken legal measures for the purpose. Besides, he added, it was also in touch with the federal government. “A law in this respect is in the offing,” he said and appealed to the elders and prominent figures of the society and community to come forward and play their due role in rooting out the custom of Karo-kari from the province.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Justice Khairi recounted achievements of the ombudsman’s institution in its 12-year history. He said that the institution received 82,730 individual pleas and provided relief in 29,787 cases. However, he observed, there were certain areas which called for governor’s attention. He identified some of such areas as non-availability of water, encroachment of land, failure of police in taking action against violators of traffic rules, etc.
Referring to the Sindh Local Government Ordinance (SLGO) 2001, promulgated to ensure good governance at grassroots level, he expressed reservations to the idea of establishing ombudsman institution at district level under Nazim and local government minister. Such a scheme, he opined, might require billions of rupees. Instead, Justice Khairi suggested, awareness be created in people on the easy access to this speedy and inexpensive system of administrative justice.
The ombudsman spoke of the concern among people over grant of a free-hand to private educational institution with regard to fees structure as envisaged in the Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Ordinance 2002. He called for the reintroduction of effective control of government in this regard. He also proposed the introduction of standard public schools for government employees’ children where a reasonable fee be charged. Such schools, he said, would greatly help reduce level of corruption in the province as well as providing relief to the students’ parents.
