To meet FATF requirements: Home Dept registers 2,500 NPOs in Punjab

LAHORE: Around 2500 Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) have been registered by the Punjab home department, The News has learnt. According to sources in the home department, 5300 NPOs had applied for registration with Punjab Charity Commission under Punjab Charity Act 2018.

Registration of 2800 NPOs is under process. Earlier, the Punjab government had made it mandatory for all NPOs in the province t register with Punjab Charity Commission and this decision was taken to meet Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements.

It should be noted that the FATF Cell Punjab is very active in the province, shared another official in the home department. It was feared that NPOs could be exploited by terrorists, now; the Punjab government is monitoring all NPOs working in the province. It should be noted that the Punjab government has enacted a Charity Commission Act to eradicate money-laundering and terror financing and to monitor NGOs. It has been made mandatory for all NGOs to register under this Act. Around 30,000 NGOs were registered under the Societies Act, Trust SECP and Social Welfare Department.

These NGOs were not habitual to submit their annual records in respective departments. Once NGO is registered with the Societies Registration Act, 1860; the registration of NGO could not be cancelled under law while the department has no power to take any action against the NGO, home department’s official said. Now the source of funding, annual audit, members of board of NGOs/NPOs, would be monitored. The Punjab government has deregistered 22,000 non-functional NGOs out of 30,000. Around 8,000 NGOs are functional in Punjab. Charities could not be collected until NPOs get registered with Punjab Charity Commission. Punjab government had confiscated properties of proscribed organisations in the province. He said 500 properties including schools, colleges, hospitals, dispensaries, seminaries and ambulances of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insaniyat (FIF) had been taken into custody by the government. Additionally, the properties of proscribed organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) had also been confiscated.

The Punjab government had taken over the control of a complex comprising a mosque and a seminary in Bahawalpur, which was alleged to be the headquarters of JeM.

The government is monitoring shrines, mosques and seminaries in the province effectively. Around 1600 proscribed persons were placed in the Fourth Schedule under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997. The assets of Fourth Schedulers were frozen under the law and their CNICs and bank accounts were blocked by the government. Additionally, their names were put on the ECL by the interior ministry. The Fourth Schedule is a list where suspects of terrorism and sectarianism are placed under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997. Furthermore, Geo tagging of 8861 seminaries has been completed. At least 170 websites having hate material under National Action Plan had been blocked by the government. Registration of mosques and shrines has been started in the province.

Meanwhile, home department’s spokesperson said no organisation will be allowed to collect charities without registration.

In case of violation, action would be taken against charity organisations and donors as well. “Government has restricted movements of Fourth Schedulers and their social media accounts are also monitored,” he added. NPOs are being facilitated and registered under Punjab Charity Commission in one-window operation established at the home department, he added. He also said there is zero tolerance for proscribed organisations in the province; their properties have been confiscated by the government.