Reuters, ISLAMABAD :
Pakistani authorities have given Save the Children 15 days to leave the country, officials said on Friday, accusing the aid agency of spying.
Police locked the gate of the charity’s office in the capital Islamabad late on Thursday and put up a notice saying the building was sealed.
“We strongly object to this action and are raising our serious concerns at the highest levels,” Save the Children said in a statement.
“All our work is designed and delivered in close collaboration with the
government ministries across the country and aims to strengthen public service delivery systems in health, nutrition, education and child welfare.”
The charity, which has been in Pakistan for over 35 years, has had run-ins with the government since 2011, when it was linked to Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor recruited by the CIA to help in the hunt that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. Save the Children’s foreign staff members were expelled from Pakistan soon after the accusations surfaced, but more than 1,000 local staff have continued to operate. The charity denies any links with the Pakistani doctor or the CIA. Police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the aid agency was being shut down because it was involved in “anti-Pakistani projects.”
“We have been monitoring their calls and watching their offices and their activities are very suspicious,” a senior police official said in Islamabad.
An official at the charity said several staff members had been denied visas since 2012, and aid supplies had been blocked by Pakistani authorities.
“These restrictions have blocked aid to millions of children and their families,” the official said. “Hopefully better sense will prevail.” Aid workers say Pakistan has toughened its policies towards both international and local groups, accusing them of using their work as a cover for espionage.
Of particular concern is the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act 2015, a bill that, if approved, would make it easier for officials to prevent groups that receive foreign funds from operating in Pakistan.
According to CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations, the Pakistan government deregistered 3,000 local aid groups in December last year.
Some NGOs to face same fate: Nisar
Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said that no Non-Government Organisation (NGO) working against the country’s national interest will be allowed to continue its work in Pakistan. He said that some NGOs were performing out of their respective domains and they should be probed. “We formulated a plan last year to regulate the functioning of NGOs in the country.” The statement comes a day after authorities ordered the international aid group Save the Children to leave Pakistan saying the charity was “working against the country”. The interior minister added that they had been receiving intelligence reports for many years but no action was being taken. NGOs, whose numbers run into hundreds, have been operating without any code of conduct, law and agenda, he said. “We don’t want to put ban on any NGO but we want to compel them to work under their charter,” Khan said.
The interior minister also appealed to all international NGOs and governments to respect the laws of Pakistan.
He said that the government will not bear any kind of foreign pressure regarding the working criteria of the NGOs. Khan also alleged that some NGOs are working against the national interest of Pakistan with the support of US, Israel and India. “I will highlight the issues of illegal NGOs in the parliament as the government cannot compromised on national interest,” he added.
The interior minister said that the government will welcome NGOs working according to plan by following the law of the land while the government will also facilitate the NGOs working according to their charter.
Khan also said that the implementation on capital punishment is in accordance with the law while criticism against judiciary will not be tolerated in this regard.
Addressing journalists in the federal capital city the interior minister said that many NGOs are doing a good job and all of them cannot be clubbed in the same category. “We will support those NGOs who are doing a good job. But we cannot allow anti-state NGOs to operate under the umbrella of the good-performing NGOs.”
Pakistani authorities have given Save the Children 15 days to leave the country, officials said on Friday, accusing the aid agency of spying.
Police locked the gate of the charity’s office in the capital Islamabad late on Thursday and put up a notice saying the building was sealed.
“We strongly object to this action and are raising our serious concerns at the highest levels,” Save the Children said in a statement.
“All our work is designed and delivered in close collaboration with the
government ministries across the country and aims to strengthen public service delivery systems in health, nutrition, education and child welfare.”
The charity, which has been in Pakistan for over 35 years, has had run-ins with the government since 2011, when it was linked to Shakil Afridi, a Pakistani doctor recruited by the CIA to help in the hunt that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. Save the Children’s foreign staff members were expelled from Pakistan soon after the accusations surfaced, but more than 1,000 local staff have continued to operate. The charity denies any links with the Pakistani doctor or the CIA. Police sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the aid agency was being shut down because it was involved in “anti-Pakistani projects.”
“We have been monitoring their calls and watching their offices and their activities are very suspicious,” a senior police official said in Islamabad.
An official at the charity said several staff members had been denied visas since 2012, and aid supplies had been blocked by Pakistani authorities.
“These restrictions have blocked aid to millions of children and their families,” the official said. “Hopefully better sense will prevail.” Aid workers say Pakistan has toughened its policies towards both international and local groups, accusing them of using their work as a cover for espionage.
Of particular concern is the Foreign Contributions Regulation Act 2015, a bill that, if approved, would make it easier for officials to prevent groups that receive foreign funds from operating in Pakistan.
According to CIVICUS, a global alliance of civil society organisations, the Pakistan government deregistered 3,000 local aid groups in December last year.
Some NGOs to face same fate: Nisar
Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday said that no Non-Government Organisation (NGO) working against the country’s national interest will be allowed to continue its work in Pakistan. He said that some NGOs were performing out of their respective domains and they should be probed. “We formulated a plan last year to regulate the functioning of NGOs in the country.” The statement comes a day after authorities ordered the international aid group Save the Children to leave Pakistan saying the charity was “working against the country”. The interior minister added that they had been receiving intelligence reports for many years but no action was being taken. NGOs, whose numbers run into hundreds, have been operating without any code of conduct, law and agenda, he said. “We don’t want to put ban on any NGO but we want to compel them to work under their charter,” Khan said.
The interior minister also appealed to all international NGOs and governments to respect the laws of Pakistan.
He said that the government will not bear any kind of foreign pressure regarding the working criteria of the NGOs. Khan also alleged that some NGOs are working against the national interest of Pakistan with the support of US, Israel and India. “I will highlight the issues of illegal NGOs in the parliament as the government cannot compromised on national interest,” he added.
The interior minister said that the government will welcome NGOs working according to plan by following the law of the land while the government will also facilitate the NGOs working according to their charter.
Khan also said that the implementation on capital punishment is in accordance with the law while criticism against judiciary will not be tolerated in this regard.
Addressing journalists in the federal capital city the interior minister said that many NGOs are doing a good job and all of them cannot be clubbed in the same category. “We will support those NGOs who are doing a good job. But we cannot allow anti-state NGOs to operate under the umbrella of the good-performing NGOs.”
