NGO issues

The Sindh Social Welfare Department has announced that, as per the recommendations of the apex committee, no further non-governmental organisation will be registered in the province. It has also noted that of the 8,000 NGOs registered on paper in Sindh 4,500 have been found to be engaged in no activity and have not submitted records or updates for years. Some of these NGOs have been delisted. For the future, NGOs will require a No Objection Certificate from the provincial home ministry to set up office. The action against NGOs is significant in many ways. We know that many of these organisations essentially do not perform the task they have listed. The ministry has also pointed to the security concerns and said that in future international NGOs will need a security certificate from the interior ministry. This practice had indeed been in place for several years with the federal government cracking down on a number of INGOs. While security has been cited as a primary concern, it is known that some international organisations such as Doctors Without Borders are engaged globally in some very useful work. The decision not to renew permission for such groups to continue operations in Pakistan last year came as a blow to the remote communities these groups and organisations have been serving for years.

A careful review of the policy is needed, given that so many people in the country require basic services that international groups are sometimes able to offer. This is especially true in the field of healthcare and education. Some mechanism to determine which INGOs are performing genuine service and to ensure projects do not have to be abruptly abandoned is required. At the same time at the local level, as has been pointed out in Sindh, some dubious NGOs have been collecting funds in various parts of Karachi notably ahead of Ramazan. Their activities to fleece people in the name of charity obviously need to be halted. NGOs which exist only on paper or are engaged in fraudulent activity must also be checked. The steps being taken are welcome but we hope they can be carried out in a transparent and open manner to avoid any accusations of bias or any unfair play in determining which NGOs are permitted to function and which are banned.