By Ijaz Kakakhel

Police-related matters emerged as the single largest source of public complaints received by the Prime Minister's Public Affairs and Grievances Wing during the three-year period from July 1, 2023 to June 24, 2026, official data available with Wealth Pakistan shows.

A total of 16,738 complaints were registered against major federal ministries, departments, and public institutions during the period under review.

Police departments across Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) accounted for the highest number of complaints, receiving 5,740 grievances, or more than one-third of all complaints recorded.

Punjab alone accounted for 3,434 police-related complaints, followed by Sindh with 1,281, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 452, and Islamabad Capital Territory 426.

Land revenue and land ownership disputes ranked second with 2,487 complaints, reflecting persistent public concerns over land administration and property-related issues.

Punjab reported the highest number of such complaints at 1,596, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recorded 344 and Islamabad 289.

Electricity distribution companies were another major area of public dissatisfaction, receiving 2,104 complaints during the period. Punjab accounted for 1,151 complaints, followed by Sindh with 701. In addition, SNGPL and SSGPL together received another 580 complaints related to gas services.

Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) ranked among the departments attracting the highest number of complaints, with 2,060 grievances. Nearly half of these were reported from Punjab, which accounted for 997 complaints, followed by Sindh with 464 and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 359.

According to the data, education-related complaints reached 788, while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) together received 696 complaints.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) received 513 complaints, followed by health services with 411 complaints and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) with 370.

Complaints against the State Bank of Pakistan stood at 326, while Pakistan Post and Postal Life Insurance received 299 complaints during the review period.

Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) together received 195 complaints, while Pakistan Railways recorded 115 complaints. National Highway Authority (NHA) received the fewest complaints among the major departments listed, with 54.

A provincial breakdown showed that Punjab generated by far the largest volume of complaints, accounting for 9,374 of the total 16,738 complaints. Sindh followed with 3,510 complaints, while Islamabad Capital Territory recorded 1301 complaints. Gilgit-Baltistan accounted for 40 complaints, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 1958, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 216, and Balochistan 339.

The figures indicate that law enforcement, land administration, social protection and utility services remained the sectors attracting the highest number of public grievances during the three-year period, underscoring the need for improvements in service delivery, complaint resolution mechanisms and institutional responsiveness across government departments.

Credit: INP-WealthPk