Rs709mln relief granted to banking customers

KARACHI: Banking Mohtasib Pakistan (BMP) provided monetary relief amounting to Rs709 million to the banking customers by disposing up to 32,592 complaints in 2021, a statement said on Tuesday.

According to the annual report for the year 2021, BMP secretariat received 33,196 complaints, including 18,762 complaints from the PM’s portal, in 2021, whereas additional 4,167 were brought forward from the previous year. In 2021, the BMP disposed up to 21,360 complaints giving a relief of Rs598 million to the banking customers.

“An increase of about 46 percent was observed in the receipt of complaints at BMP during the year 2021 as compared to the year 2020. In-spite of Covid-19, the Mohtasib office has succeeded in maintaining the regular pace of disposing of complaints while adhering to the prescribed Covid-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs),” it said.

To keep pace with the technology and to meet the art of the technological product, the BMP has embarked upon a project to upgrade the I.T. system and revamp its website, it added.

The revamped website would contain an online complaint lodgement portal for the general public, which would be followed by launch of a SMS service by sometime in June this year, to keep the customers abreast with the status of their complaints.

On the occasion, BMP Kamran Shehzad, with a view to protecting people from fraudulent activities, emphasised to the banking customers to not to disclose their personal and financial credential to any third person or party. He stressed that on receipt of any suspicious call, the receiver should immediately approach the nearest branch of their bank or contact at helpline of the bank.