Raja Javed Ali Bhatti
In the absence of a clear policy prior to 2015, some of the INGOs were successful in penetrating various sectors of society and accomplished agenda of their donors. These INGOs were observed endeavoring to influence our security, religious matters besides breaching social norms and customs. After formulation of policy frame work it was decided to bring all INGOs under scrutiny resulting in formulation of INGOs Policy – 2015. Reportedly, so far 145 INGOs have applied for registration with Ministry of Interior under new INGOs Policy. During scrutiny it was revealed by sensitive Institutions that 63 INGOs are working against Pakistan’s security and solidarity. After constant follow up and push by relevant ministries along with sensitive institutions, Mol served notices to 49 INGOs (in November 2017 and August 2018) for closing their operation in the country; out of these, 18 x INGOs filed representation against Interior Ministry decision and they were given ample opportunity to clear their position. Their appeals were unanimously regretted by a special committee constituted for the said purpose. On 2nd October 2018, Interior Ministry has issued final winding up notices to 18 INGOs to wind up their operations in the country within 60 days. However, said INGOs have been asked to apply after 6 months on revised MoU for their registration. It has also come into knowledge that 40 INGOs did not even bother to get themselves registered and are working without registration. Interior Ministry is also considering to take legal action against said INGOs very soon.
It is very important to mention that Government of Pakistan has allowed 81 INGOs (20 from USA, 14 from UK, 11 from Germany etc) to work inside the country, which are contributing positively in various development/ welfare projects. Some of them are working as front offices of HIAs, they were trying to influence electoral process, fake immunization campaigns, spying of strategic sites and illegal data collection etc.
Let me redefine NGO’s in the modified words of Jessica Mathews of Foreign Affairs magazine (1997) – NGO are special interest groups that are designed and used as extensions of the normal foreign policy instrument of certain Western countries and groups of countries. Unselected, unelected self- appointed altruists, with no constituency and accountability answerable to no-one, financed and controlled by foreign entities with specific agenda. Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy in 2007, concluding that these NGOs “are formally independent but they are purposefully financed and therefore under control.” So must be registered as Foreign Agent in the country of their operation.
Many academics feel NGOs are actually part of the neo-liberal agenda to roll back the state, open international borders for globalised commerce, deregulate labour markets to make hiring and firing easy and push all service provision into the hands of the private sector. In such a situation, the third sector no longer remains distinct from the public and the private sectors.
In a letter addressed to all four zonal superintendents of police, the senior superintendent of police has ordered that the operations of the INGOs be shut down.
Four of these INGOs are based in the UK, two are from USA and one each from China, Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Pakistan. Pakistani intelligence services accused Save the Children of being complicit in helping the US Central Intelligence Agency find the al-Qaeda leader A doctor in Pakistan who helped track down bin Laden told investigators he had been introduced to the CIA by a senior Save the Children
Officials at Pakistan’s home ministry said some of the groups had attracted the government’s attention because they operated in parts of the country where militancy was high and where Pakistan suspected western intelligence agencies also operated.
According to the letter, the INGOs which were denied permission to operate are the Zia-ul Ummat Foundation UK, Al-Khair Foundation UK, Safe World UK, International Alert UK, Centre For International Enterprise USA, Acumen Fund Inc USA, AVRDC-World Vegetable Centre Taiwan Republic of China, Central Asia Education Trust Pakistan, Danish Refugee Council Denmark, Foundation Open Society Institute Pakistan Switzerland and Oxfam Novib Netherlands. The Interior Ministry rejected the applications for registration of twenty one International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs). However, the sources said that the issues of banning and suspending licenses of INGOs started appearing when the incumbent regime took decision to shift this sector from domain of Economic Affairs Division (EAD) to Ministry of Interior during the tenure of former Interior Minister Ch Nisar Ali Khan. The EAD was used to oversee development activities related to INGOs in close collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These INGOs were given green signal for continuation of their work only after getting clearance from the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs. When INGOs were handed over to Ministry of Interior, then Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs Ishaq Dar did not object because he did not to annoy the then Minister for Interior Ch Nisar Ali Khan but officials working in the EAD argued that there were no reasons for making this shift as smooth working was underway because EAD possessed expertise to handle with INGOs for having long experience in collaboration with other ministries and security establishment.
The applications were mainly turned down due to non-fulfillment of the criteria recently formed by the Pakistan government, according to sources in the ministry. The Government of Pakistan accords importance to the role and contribution of INGOs in support of its socio economic policies and programs. In 2015, the Government of Pakistan put together a policy framework to streamline and facilitate the work of INGOs in the country. As part of this framework, all INGOs present in Pakistan or desirous of operating in Pakistan are required to register themselves with the Ministry of Interior by signing MoU.
All INGOs are hereby directed to have their annual financial audits done from any one of the approved audit firms of Category (A) & (B) available on the official website of the State Bank of Pakistan. The cost of audit shall be borne by the respective INGO.
According to James Petra (1999), professor of Sociology at Binghamton University New York, NGOs are not “non-governmental” organizations as they receive funds from overseas governments, work as private sub-contractors of local governments and/or are subsidized by corporate funded private foundations that keep close working relations with the state. Frequently NGO’s openly collaborate with governmental agencies at home or overseas. These NGOs are not accountable to local people but to overseas donors who “review” and “oversee” their performance according to their own criteria and interests as the recent case of Ukraine and Turkey. So what is an NGO in reality? How do they operate and function? What do they control and how effective they are?
A noble concept started in the 19th century and finally recognized by UN in 1950’s has grown out of control. These self-appointed organizations are answerable to no constituency. Unelected or selected, ignorant of local and cultural realities, they confront those democratically chosen and those who voted them into office. Some even go as far as against the judiciary and armed forces of the country – institutions responsible for national integrity. NGOs such as International Crisis Group have openly interfered on behalf of the non-state characters in Macedonia while advising confrontation as in Pakistan. Such encroachment on state sovereignty allows NGOs to get involved from local corruption to domestic affairs and into foreign affairs of the host country. They serve as self-appointed witnesses, judges, jury and executioner all rolled into one the behavior of GEO media house in Pakistan. A sudden surge of NGOs involvement in Pakistan, especially from Britain, speaks to the negative effects that NGO’s have had on areas of education within the country. Over the last decade after 9/11, NGO’s in Pakistan have “fragmented the local education system, undermined local control of education programs, and contributed to growing social inequality and division in society. Most NGO’s operating in Pakistan function as state agency within the state under the protection of their represented government embassies.
