ISLAMABAD: Social and human-rights activists on Friday rejected the government’s assurance that it is operating an “open and transparent” policy for the registration of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs).
“The government has issued arbitrary orders of closure of international NGOs and there is no transparency in its registration process,” said Mohammad Tehseen, the director of South Asia Partnership Pakistan.
He challenged the government to press charges against NGOs that it alleges are involved in “anti-state activities.”
“Why doesn’t the government approach the courts against those NGOs involved in illegal activities?” he asked.
Tehseen, who has been campaigning for the right of NGOs to work freely in the country, claims that the crackdown on charity organizations is part of a government strategy to clamp down on dissent.
“The welfare organizations have been providing services to remote areas of Pakistan where the government has failed to initiate development projects,” he said. “Is the provision of clean drinking water, education and awareness of human rights to the people a crime?”
On Oct. 2 this year, the government rejected the registrations of 18 INGOs, giving them 60 days to wind up their operations and leave Pakistan. In June 2015, the then-Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed all INGOs in Pakistan to apply for full registeration with the ministry to continue working in the country. As a result, 141 organizations applied for registration, of which only 74 were approved.
While briefing a Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights last week, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Interior Mohammad Siddique said that all INGOs were given the opportunity to explain their activities.
“All of the INGOs that have been directed to leave the country were given the opportunity of a personal hearing but they failed to satisfy the relevant officials about their workings,” he said.
Zaigham Khan, an analyst and human-rights activist, urged the government to satisfy the donors’ community about the banning of the INGOs and to improve the transparency of the process.
“The Pakistani authorities will have to face difficult questions at international forums such as the United Nations about its purported crackdown against NGOs and human-rights activists if it fails to bring transparency in its working,” he said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Thursday said that the government was pursuing an “open and transparent” INGO policy “which is underpinned by national laws, rules and regulations,” and that “the evidence is contrary to assertions.”
It added that all actions were in accordance with universally recognized principles and practice, as every state has the right to define laws, policies and regulatory frameworks, keeping in mind the national context, circumstances and needs.
Amid calls for transparency, Pakistan denies targeting international NGOs
Amid calls for transparency, Pakistan denies targeting international NGOs
- Activists urge government to ensure transparency in registration of NGOs
- Of 141 international NGOs, the government has so far allowed 74 to continue their operations
Pakistan PM orders strategy to improve project execution as multilateral lenders propose reforms
- Shehbaz Sharif says he will personally lead a steering committee to speed up priority projects
- Four working groups proposed to streamline approvals, procurement, land issues and staffing
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed officials to draw up a detailed strategy to improve the planning and execution of development projects, saying he would personally chair a steering committee aimed at ensuring timely and transparent completion of priority schemes.
The move came during a meeting where the World Bank and Asian Development Bank presented recommendations to the government on strengthening project implementation.
According to the prime minister’s office, participants received a briefing that said project approvals involve multiple steps and need simplification, while timely procurement and better readiness tools could also help accelerate implementation.
“National projects of critical importance must be completed transparently and on time,” Sharif told officials, according to the statement. “This is our priority.”
He said the federal and provincial steering committee on development-sector reforms would be headed by him.
The statement said four working groups were also proposed during the meeting: one to review approval and preparation processes, a second to modernize procurement, a third to address land acquisition and resettlement challenges, and a fourth to focus on human-resource alignment and staff deployment for development schemes.
Sharif thanked the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for their support and said development projects must be aligned with the objectives of Pakistan’s Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) and provincial Annual Development Plans (ADPs).
The meeting was attended by senior federal ministers, provincial representatives, senior civil servants and the country directors of both multilateral lenders.
