The Federal government has announced a policy for worldwide Non-government Organizations (INGOs), envisaging on-line registration and signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) specifying domain and areas for working of these organizations. Chaudhry Nisar said that new policy is based on three parts and is meant to promote NGOs welfare activities.
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Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan visited D-Chowk here on Friday.
He said the INGOs will also not be able to receive any help from local NGOs without government approval.
Under this new policy, NGOs wishing to establish its offices inside Pakistan will need to have government’s consent to collect funds and to operate in the country.
MoUs will be signed for a period of three months, which was earlier for five months, followed by issuance of visas to members of an INGO, he said. He said the interior ministry carried out action against several NGOs, adding that a few of them were operating for 11 to 12 years without any permission.
The minister said that with online registration process for INGOs, visa acquisition was also being simplified and could be availed online. He said it was unfortunate that in the past a few INOGs were working in the country without no-objection certificate (NOC) and security clearance.
He said registration of the INGOs found to be indulging in any illegal funding, financing, or interaction with proscribed organizations will be automatically cancelled.
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Worldwide non-governmental organisations (INGO) have been working in Pakistan for nearly as long as the state has been in existence. “We want to bring all the INGos under the law” he added. “The policy will be modified if needed”, he added. In principle, no problem – in practice, the potential for pitfalls, to say nothing of the loss of valuable services, as well as the potential for alienating foreign donors, who perfectly legitimately provide various sectors with financial support.
