DESPITE being a well-intended initiative, the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal (PCP) is failing to serve the envisioned purpose as its administrators have themselves adopted the dismissive culture of the bureaucracy which habitually turns a blind eye to citizens’ woes.

Each time a complaint is registered on the portal, it is referred to the relevant department, following which the complaint is either closed or dropped for vague reasons. There seems to be no accountability on how the system works and that makes it frustrating for citizens who reach out to the portal with genuine concerns.

Additionally, this also makes the complainant more vulnerable against the department concerned. Once the complaint against a department has been registered, the officials working there get to know about the case, often misuse their knowledge, and discriminate against the complainants.

An acquaintance of mine who had recently faced serious discrimination at the hands of Capital Development Authority (CDA) management, reached out to the deputy secretary in charge of the portal.

This person raised his concerns with the official about being treated unfairly by the CDA management following multiple complaints he had registered against them on the portal.

Instead of taking a tactical approach towards the issue, the official took the matter directly to the CDA official concerned, placing my acquaintance in a vulnerable position.

Eventually, a meeting was arranged between the two which was mediated by the said portal official. But the issue was left unresolved and both parties were advised to take the matter to the court.

The PCP official justified his own failure to conclude the matter by stating that his only responsibility was to connect the complainant with the relevant department, past which the portal’s administration holds no authority.

This is not an isolated incident. Thousands of complaints are either closed or dealt with in a similar manner. In a democratic dispensation, citizens should not have to appeal to the courts each time an issue against the administration is raised, and for the courts to educate the government regarding applicable legislations, the substance of these laws and how they are being violated. Apart from being highly inefficient, the practice is counterproductive to the government’s Digital Pakistan vision.

There is a need to bring the PCP in conformity with its primary objective of serving the citizens in a just manner. Complainants should not be left solely at the mercy of government departments.

Through an accountable and transparent system, it should be ensured that all complaints reach their logical conclusions.

For issues that require arbitration, the case should be referred to the relevant federal ombudsman. As things stand today, the PCP serves as a third-party postal service.

Iqbal MandoKhail

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2021