KARACHI, October, 2025: At the 20th anniversary event of Banking Mohtasib Pakistan (BMP), key national figures commended the institution’s vital role in delivering accessible and timely justice to banking consumers, while calling for expanded outreach and faster complaint resolution.
Former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Dr. Ishrat Husain, lauded BMP’s two decades of service in protecting consumer rights through a quasi-judicial process. He emphasized the need for broader outreach, particularly in smaller towns and rural areas where awareness is limited and banking challenges are often more severe.
“Justice should not be confined to major cities,” Dr. Husain said, urging BMP to shift some administrative focus from Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad to underserved regions. He also advocated for quicker resolution of cases to avoid delays resembling the judicial system, and for BMP to concentrate more on resolving grievances rather than focusing primarily on monetary values.
Dr. Husain praised the quality of BMP’s Annual Report but recommended the inclusion of analytical insights such as complaint trends and frequencies. He also called for the inclusion of microfinance banks under BMP’s purview and encouraged strategic engagement with the Pakistan Banks’ Association (PBA) and individual banks receiving higher complaint volumes.
Former Justice Irfan Qadir, Legal Consultant to the President of Pakistan, echoed the praise for BMP, highlighting its integrity, ethical conduct, and legal robustness. Sharing insights from reviewing over 500 cases during his tenure, he affirmed that BMP had delivered substantial relief in most matters ranging from ATM fraud and spoofed calls to succession disputes and account blockages.
Justice Qadir described BMP and the President’s Office as “torchbearers of justice and ethics,” urging all public servants to follow their example.
Earlier in the event, Banking Mohtasib Sirajuddin Aziz welcomed participants, and BMP Advisor Yameen Farooqui delivered the vote of thanks. Zafar Masud, President Bank of Punjab and Chairman of PBA, also addressed the gathering, sharing reflections on institutional resilience and professional ethics.
The 20-year milestone reaffirmed BMP’s critical role as a protector of banking customers’ rights and set the stage for greater accountability, wider reach, and more responsive public service in the financial sector.
