THE only good work done by one of the long line of self-installed dictatorsin this country, not in the too distant past, was the establishment of the institution of ombudsman: an idea borrowed from Scandinavian countries. The objective of setting up the institution was to address the unaddressed excesses, committed by the bureaucracy against the under-privileged.

But the hiatus, left unplugged in the scaffold of the edifice and not noticed by the writers of the martial law order, seems to be blocking its full potential. The consequential impact of the missing link led to the piling-up of umpteen complaints, decided by the ombudsman but remaining unimplemented by agencies. This is besides the lukewarm response, received by the institution from the agencies. A recent report by the directorate of the ombudsman at Nashahro Feroze, appearing in this paper the other day, is a case in point.

A simple solution lies in revisiting the Act. The chief justices of the superior courts may be authorised to transfer one of their justices to head the respective institutions within the country. The contempt of power, held by judges, would be the driving force to move agencies to respond in time, besides implementing decisions during the stipulated period.

An insertion of a solitary amendment to the Act would mostly disentangle the entangled matters of the progenies of the lesser god in a jiffy. The proposed amendment would also generate an enabling environment for the ombudsman to render expense-free and quick relief virtually at the doorsteps of the wronged.

To strengthen further the august institution, a contingent of incumbent spent forces, vulnerable to the whims of the ombudsman, may be replaced by of ficers, working in various departments of the agencies. The fresher blood, circulating in their arteries, would own up the institution, add muscle to their missives and nudge the bureaucracy to act responsively.

Ibrahim Lakhiar Karachi