Banking Mohtasib Gets Rs1.2 Billion Refunded to Customers in 9 Months — How to File a Complaint Free

By Bilal Ahmed | Updated: October 13, 2026

If your bank has ever ignored your complaint, here is proof that complaining works: the Banking Mohtasib Pakistan has resolved 29,001 complaints in favour of customers and secured refunds worth Rs1.2 billion during the first nine months of 2026. The figures, announced in Karachi on October 12, cover complaints decided between January 1 and September 30. And the best part — filing a complaint with the Mohtasib costs nothing. Here is what the numbers show, how the process works, and how you can file a complaint yourself.

Banking Mohtasib 2026: Key Figures at a Glance

What the Banking Mohtasib Does

Most people have never heard of the office, so let me explain it simply. The Banking Mohtasib is Pakistan’s banking ombudsman — an independent office that resolves disputes between bank customers and commercial banks. Think of it as a free court for banking problems: unauthorised deductions, ATM disputes, delayed remittances, loan mark-up fights, credit-card overcharging, mobile-banking fraud.

The part most people miss is the sequence. You do not walk straight to the Mohtasib. You complain to your bank first, and if the bank rejects your complaint or fails to respond within 45 days, then the Mohtasib’s door opens. That one rule is the difference between a complaint that gets heard and one that gets bounced back with “contact your bank first.”

The office handles all commercial banks in Pakistan, and the entire complaint process is free of charge for customers — no filing fee, no lawyer needed.

How to File a Complaint with the Banking Mohtasib

Here is the practical path, step by step:

• Step 1 — Complain to your bank in writing: Email or a written letter to your branch or the bank’s complaint cell. Keep copies and note the date — this starts your record.
• Step 2 — Wait 45 days or get a rejection: If the bank resolves it, done. If it rejects your complaint or stays silent for 45 days, you qualify for the Mohtasib.
• Step 3 — File with the Mohtasib: Submit your complaint online through the Banking Mohtasib’s complaint portal, by post, or in person at a regional office. Attach your bank correspondence, account details, and any evidence.
• Step 4 — Alternate route — PM Portal: Nearly 6,000 complainants this year came through the Prime Minister’s Portal (5,927 of the 33,625 complaints), so that channel clearly works too.
• Step 5 — Track and respond: The office investigates, hears both sides, and passes an order. Keep your phone and email active so you can respond to any query.

One honest warning from experience: documentation decides cases. Screenshots of transactions, bank statements, the bank’s written reply — gather everything before you file. A vague complaint without evidence goes nowhere; a documented one gets attention.

Mohtasib’s Fraud Warning: Protect Your Money

Announcing the nine-month figures, Banking Mohtasib Sirajuddin Aziz used the occasion to warn customers about the fraud wave driving many of these complaints. His advice is worth quoting because it is exactly what bank fraud investigators say:

• Never share account details or OTPs with anyone — your bank will never ask for them on a call.
• Do not click links on your mobile unless you are certain they came from a genuine, verified source. Most banking fraud in Pakistan now starts with a fake link.
• Treat bank-looking calls as suspicious: bank helpline call centres do not make outbound calls — so a call displaying your bank’s number asking for details is almost certainly a scam.
• Report suspicious calls immediately to your bank’s helpline and report the phone numbers to the NCCIA (National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency).

The Trend: Complaints Are Rising

The nine-month figures continue a pattern. In the first half of 2026, the office resolved 18,482 complaints and secured Rs762.76 million in relief — meaning the third quarter alone added roughly another Rs440 million. New complaints in the first half were up 26.5% year-on-year (21,392 vs 16,915), which says something about both rising fraud and growing public awareness of the office.

Zoom out further and the scale becomes clear: for 2025, the Mohtasib disposed of 36,280 complaints and provided Rs1.88 billion in relief to banking customers. The nine-month 2026 run-rate is on track to match or exceed that.

That is real money back in real people’s pockets — and it underlines a simple point: Pakistan’s financial sector moves billions, but when a bank wrongs an ordinary customer, there is a free office whose whole job is to make it right.

Frequently Asked Questions