ALL AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS BY BANKING, TELECOMMUNICATION, DEVELOPMENT REGULATORS ARE SPIRITLESS AIMED

[Jokingjustice]

Banks have, under the disguise of a public awareness campaign, released advertisements as well placed on their websites notices entitled “Are you certain there is no fake bank account in your name”?

2. This senior citizen in his long-life has seen uncountable such so-called awareness warnings lacking any real spirit behind but with intent only to fill up stomach of the official files. For example, Karachi Electric started a similar campaign advising its subscribers to preserve energy in the national interest by switching off unnecessary devices. When as a civic minded, I acted on this advice I got huge inflated bills continuously for months. When I struggled, I was told that since my current usage was less than previous periods, I was being billed on average irrespective of the actual meter readings. Practically, it meant I was deemed an electricity thief. The protector of the citizens rights the Federal Ombudsman, agreed to KESC this contention and rejected my complaint praying the Ombudsman to advise KESC to remove its misguiding campaign from its official website.

3. No authority, in our case, can bear public safeguarding its interest. Example is when advertisements appear for sale of plots/flats, the concerned development authorities from whole of the country warn the public about project having no legal authority only and only when sure that the maximum possible money the project owner had pulled out of public pockets. For example, a scheme was announced in 1993 giving authority’s NOC reference. After complete 07 years Rawalpindi Development Authority told the public that the project was illegal and it did not issue any NOC. All awareness campaigns, public awareness schemes, make-aware facilities, thus, are perforce introduced ensuring that these don’t produce exactly the results designed for.

4. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, likewise, perforce half-heartedly, on its website introduced a facility through which public could know how many SIMs worked in the name of an individual. For the last 6-8 months in the “پاکستان نیا ” this website facility has been made “dysfunctional” so the public could not know if some innocent was being duped by fraudulent, of course, with the blessing of concerned. A fortnight back a gang including a police officer was nabbed for duping the biometric system to get SIM cards for criminals.

5. Banks above warning to public is as worthless as it is in effect intended to be. For example an individual resident of Karachi, has no way whatsoever to know, unless if the authorities are really honest and chalk out a facility, viz if out of 50 different Bank branches in Peshawar if an account in his name was illegally being operated, which will never be done.


6. Last week when I was signing as acknowledgement receipt of a Registered mail letter coming to me from Pakistan, the Bahraini post office counter official signaled to a small piece of paper folded and stapled outside the envelope appearing like a " تعویز ". This Pakistan had no answer to it except for downing his own head in self shame. Since quite some time such " تعویز " are coming from Pakistan attached with registered mail and it appears the Pakistan Post Office takes a copy of CNIC who deposits the registered letter or parcel for identity purpose. These CNIC copies are, as appear, of lower grade employees like peons, attendants, messengers who come to book a registered letter on behalf of employer offices. How many copies, for example, a messenger of OPF deposits with post office in a month? These innocent "depositors" can't take sure which copy could be, could be or might have already been, attached with a fake account or a SIM. No one can say with surety in the "climate" today we generally live in.