Before ascertaining the Institution of Ombudsman as a whole, it is worthwhile to summarize one-year performance, which is obviously the upshot of the charismatic & captivating leadership of the incumbent Ombudsman (Mohtasib) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Hon’ble Syed Jamal uddin Shah; his Excellency served on various key positions in the Provincial Government. His vast experience enhanced public confidence in the institution (Ombudsman), resultantly a large number of complaints received in the year 2022.  The facts and figures divulge that Ombudsman office received 2127 complaints in the year 2022 and 392 (complaints) balance of the previous year. In total 2519 complaints, 1947 complaints were disposed of, leaving a meager balance of 572 complaints which are under investigation, nonetheless, on the recommendations of Ombudsman, a large number of poor people attained justice. Thus people can attain speedy redressal of their complaints by sending their complaints either electronically (website:https://www.ombudsmankp.gov.pk/email: provincialombudsman@gmail.com) OR hardcopy; should be properly addressed to Ombudsman KP. Ombudsman accepts complaints on plain paper annexed with a copy of CNIC and affidavit on plain paper, without engaging a lawyer.

There are various Accountability Institutions, functioning in the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for improving governance & transparency, which includes Right to Information Commission (RTI), after the enactment of RTI Act, 2013 the official documents are no longer confidential thus all documents regarding award of tender, shortlisting of candidates, budget, funds, etc are exposed and transparent. Similarly, Directorate of Anti-Corruption KP is also curbing corruption in public offices which might hamper the government exchequer and can investigate cases pertaining to misappropriation of public funds or matter related to financial corruption under “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Anti-corruption Establishment Rules 1999”. In addition to it, Federal Accountability Institutions like National Accountability Bureau, FIA, and Auditor General are also busy in ensuring good governance & transparency through accountability. Though various accountability institutions are functional, nevertheless, the practice & procedures of Ombudsman Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are unique with incomparable characteristics, which aims at protecting the rights of general masses and providing inexpensive relief in case of administrative excesses, deceit, neglect, unrestrained behaviors, uncertainty, and ineffectiveness of Government Department & its functionaries including corporations and attached departments. The main theme of an ombudsman is to provide speedy justice to the people at the proverbial doorstep without engaging a lawyer or going through lengthy & tough procedures. It aims at achieving an amalgamation of judicial neutrality, independence, transparency, flexibility, ease in procedures and insight into administrative processes. To be more specific, the Ombudsman institution aims at resolving public complaints expeditiously, which arise out of maladministration. Nevertheless, the theory of administrative accountability makes logic under an organism whereas the relationship is perceived not to be between the rulers and the subject rather between common people and government functionaries. An Ombudsman can thus function in a true spirit, redressing inequality, injustice, unfairness and enforcing administrative accountability only in an independent and democratic environment. The interaction of people with the government functionaries might result in malpractices and arising of various cases of injustices, which may be different in nature. Some of them may be petty and some may be bigger in nature. Keeping in view these injustices and unfairness, there should be a check and effective protection mechanism over the administrative affairs which may protect the people from uncertainty and injustices as the gap between legality and justice has increasingly been widened. Hence in this state of affairs, a mechanism for administrative accountability is imperative for confidence building in the general public, enabling them to receive a fair deal. In Pakistan, after a considerable delay, the Presidential Order No.1 of 1983 paved way for the establishment of WafaqiMohtasib in 1983, for ensuring good governance and administrative accountability, followed by Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 1991, 1996, 2001 & 2010 respectively for curbing malpractices, maladministration and ensuring good governance through administrative accountability in respective provinces.