Peshawar: Provincial Ombudsperson for Protection of Women Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Rubab Mehdi has released first annual performance report mentioning that women across the province were awarded property worth Rs 4. 10 billion over the past year and more than 20, 000 hearings were conducted to date.
Addressing a press conference, the Ombudsperson said her office was established under constitution to provide swift and affordable justice to marginalized segments of society particularly women who cannot bear the lengthy delays and costs associated with conventional courts.
She said the office’s mandate covers two key laws: the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Enforcement of Women’s Property Rights Act, 2019. Under the Harassment Act, the Ombudsperson holds the powers of a High Court while in property rights cases she exercises the powers of a District Court.
She recalled that when she took oath of office, the institution had a backlog of 2, 397 pending cases with new complainants being given hearing dates as far out as November and December. Under the earlier system, only 20 to 25 cases were heard daily.
She said daily cause list was increased to 80-120 cases that cleared the backlog within four months adding that the office now receives 15 to 20 new complaints daily and complainant is guaranteed a hearing date within 15 to 20 days.
Rubab Mehdi clarified that legal representation is not mandatory and citizens are free to pursue their cases without a lawyer if they choose. To ensure enforcement of rulings, the office signed memorandums of understanding with National Assembly and the Provincial Assembly, she said.
In the interest of transparency, an official website was launched and an agreement with Pakistan Post was signed to make correspondence traceable.
In property related cases where revenue records are found deficient or where implementation of orders faces obstruction, the office dispatches commissions to resolve the matter on the ground. So far 226 commissions have been constituted of which 144 have been completed and women were given keys of their homes.
She told that office held open courts (khuli kachehris) across all divisions of the province including Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Hazara and Malakand enabling women to receive on-the-spot relief. She said that 97 percent of complaints raised at these open courts were resolved on site.
The Ombudsperson said her office recently held a webinar with vice chancellors of 48 universities to raise awareness of Harassment Act and to ensure that inquiry committees are established at every institution.
She said the office has compiled nearly 900 testimonials, recorded with the consent of women who have received their due rights. Citing a case filed in 2009 and was pending for 17 years, she said that her office resolved it within two months.
