UN withdraws consultative status for two NGOs on Pak request

LONDON: The United Nations has stripped two African non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of their UN “consultative status” on the request of Pakistan (a committee member) after “controversial” statements were made against the state of Pakistan using the platform of these NGOs.
Mehran Baloch, rights campaigner and Balochistan’s representative to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), often hosted events in Geneva through African Technology Development Link and the African Technical Association, but Pakistan complained to the UN’s Committee on Non-Governmental Organisations, which recommends Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) consultative status to NGOs and reviews their UN activities, demanding suspension of these NGOs for violating the UN rules. Several Kashmiri groups also held their events from the platform of the same NGOs.
After Pakistan’s complaint, the case of the two NGOs was considered in the NGO Committee where it was decided that these two NGOs will no longer be able to directly engage at the UN Human Rights Council.
Papers available with The News show that Dr Diyar Khan from Permanent Mission of Pakistan at the UN wrote to Jorge Dotta, Minister-Counsellor and Permanent Mission of Uruguay and chair of the NGO Committee, stating that these NGOs have “evidently failed to conform to the clear and unequivocal principles” of the UN and clearly “abused” their consultative status by using language which is not authorised by the UN and the same NGOs also made unsubstantiated allegations against Pakistan in violation of their mandate.
He wrote that the African Technical Association, a Zambia-based NGO, has repeatedly offered its platform to a dissident Pakistani politician (Mehran Baloch) and made politically motivated allegations on Pakistan on several occasions.
The Pakistani representative wrote that a speaker made the statement from the platform of this NGO stating that the “the security of the people of Balochistan has been threatened” by state sponsored proscribed militant outfits such as Lashkar-e-Jahangvi and Jamaat-ud-Dawa.
The Pakistani representative said that the military of Pakistan, like the military of any other country, is for the security of its people and not for threatening their security, as alleged by the NGO.
The Pakistani mission wrote that these allegations are false and politically motivated and damaging the territorial integrity and reputation of a sovereign member state and are motivated to harm the territorial integrity of Pakistan as well as its relations with neighbours.
About the African Technology Development Link, the Pakistani representative wrote that this is a Guinea-based but “this NGO has resorted to make politically motivated and false comments”. He said that on the 28th session of the HRC, the organisation delivered a statement blaming Pakistan of colonial rule and calling it an occupying regime. It drew attention to one of the statements made which said that “Pakistan occupying regime has been providing huge funds to promote its own culture and language and discourage the unique culture of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan. Because of the colonial rule of Pakistan, people have been deprived of their economic, social and cultural rights”.
Pakistan told the UN that allegations by this NGO are false and “politically motivated which amount to an attack on the territorial integrity and reputation of a sovereign state member”.The permanent mission of Pakistan said that these two NGOs have “engaged in activities which constitute violation of the rules for NGO participation in the work of ECOSOC and other subsidiary organs as laid down in ECOSOC resolution 1996/31. The kind of politically motivated statements, unsubstantiated allegations, as well as terminology used by these murky, African-based NGOs on the political and human rights situation in Pakistan is inconsistent with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter and the conduct expected from accredited NGOs under resolution 1996/31”.
The status of these NGOs was withdrawn by majority votes and both votes were requested by Pakistan.The status of African Technology Development Link was withdrawn as a result of a vote of 12-5. Greece, India, Israel, United States, Uruguay voted against the withdrawal, while Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Guinea, Iran, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, Venezuela voted in favour.
In the case of African Technical Association, 13 countries voted in favour and five opposed. Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Guinea, Iran, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Sudan, Turkey, and Venezuela voted in favour and Greece, India, Israel, United States and Uruguay voted against.
Kenneth Roth, Executive Director of the Human Rights Watch, said that the withdrawal of the consultative status of the two NGO was a “dangerous precedent”.Mehran Baloch said that the NGOs were not given a chance to present their case. He said that the withdrawal of the status will have chilling effects for civil society and freedom of speech. He said that critical statements were made through democratic means and one could object to all aspects of these statements but banning the NGOs will not help the purposes of the UN which promise to provide equality to all.