ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has recommended increasing the number of insurance tribunals and small dispute resolution committees (SDRCs), and establishing an integrated digital complaints system, to improve nationwide resolution of policyholders’ grievances.
The recommendations are outlined in SECP’s report, “Strengthening Insurance Grievance Redressal in Pakistan: Current Status and Strategic Way Forward.” The report reviews the existing grievance mechanisms, which collectively received 37,029 complaints in 2025.
SECP has recommended that the Ministry of Law and Justice increase the number of insurance tribunals based on geographical needs, publish a list of sessions courts designated as insurance tribunals, and ensure the timely appointment of tribunal members.
In a statement, Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu said that through stronger coordination and technology, the SECP aims to reduce complaint-resolution times, improve accountability, and ensure every policyholder has access to an effective grievance redressal forum.
The report provides an action-oriented framework assigning proposed measures to relevant stakeholders to improve access to redressal and the overall policyholder experience.
The report also calls for expanding the scope and geographical coverage of SDRCs, periodically reviewing their financial thresholds and digitising their operations through online complaint submission and document sharing.
To improve coordination, SECP has proposed a formal mechanism to share information and consolidate complaint data among SECP, the Federal Insurance Ombudsman, Wafaqi Mohtasib, insurance tribunals, SDRCs and insurance companies.
The report recommends including complaint volumes, resolution rates, disposal times, and emerging trends in the Insurance Industry Statistics Report to support evidence-based regulatory oversight.
To address overlapping jurisdictions, the report recommends legal and administrative measures to transfer complaints about public-sector insurers to the Federal Insurance Ombudsman, consistent with the understanding reached among the relevant authorities.
Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2026
