Federal Ombudsman Nawid Karam Baloch on Wednesday launched a One-Time Password (OTP) system for filing online complaints, aimed at discouraging false complaints and protecting the personal data of complainants.
Baloch inaugurated the system at the Regional Office of the Federal Ombudsman in Lahore during a monthly review meeting. Under the new system, complainants must verify their identity through an OTP before a complaint is registered.
The office said the measure will act as a safeguard against complaints filed out of malice or personal grievance. It is also expected to improve transparency, strengthen the confidentiality of complainants’ records, and reduce irregularities in case handling.
The meeting was told that the office received 216,719 cases between January and September 2026, a 12 percent rise from 192,755 cases in the same period last year. Of these, 202,415 cases were disposed of by September 30, bringing the disposal rate to 83.7 percent, nearly 4 percentage points higher than a year earlier.
Online submissions accounted for 54 percent of all registered complaints, reflecting wider public use of information technology. Representations filed with the President against Ombudsman decisions remained minimal, at 0.28 percent in 2026 compared with 0.27 percent in 2025.
The meeting also heard that complaints under the revised and expanded IRD programme rose significantly compared with the same period last year. The office is also working with Pakistani missions abroad to resolve the problems of overseas Pakistanis promptly, participants were told.
