NGO alert: international organisations in Pakistan under greater scrutiny

Where: Pakistan

Who is affected: International NGOs (INGOs)

What happened: Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar announced new policy on 1 October requiring INGOs to apply to the Pakistani government in order to operate and raise funds within the country.

Under the Policy for the Regulation of INGOs in Pakistan, any unregistered groups will be banned from functioning inside the country. All INGOs currently working in Pakistan must re-register within 60 days, and the new INGO committee has 60 days to scrutinise the application. They will have sole power over approving registration, and will closely monitor the work of the organisations.

INGOs will then have to submit an annual plan of action, outlining all envisaged projects and budget. Their operations will be restricted to specific issues and certain geographical areas.

What are the implications? INGOs could be disbanded on the grounds of “involvement in any activity inconsistent with Pakistan’s national interests, or contrary to government policy.”

The policy is meant to secure greater accountability for INGOs, after Nisar claimed several international organisations have been involved in anti-state activities. But Human Rights Watch has warned it will worsen the “already deteriorating working climate” for these organisations.

Reactions: “Pakistan’s new rules allow the authorities to kick out international groups for anything they might do or say,” says Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The regulations are an invitation to arbitrary use of power and will put at risk any international organisation whose work exposes government failures. This new policy harks back to an era of military rule when the government used phoney claims of threats to national security to muffle critical voices in civil society.”

At the time of publication, the High Commission for Pakistan had not responded to a request for comment on the policy.

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