Sindh govt to introduce new law to monitor NGOs

The Sindh government is planning to introduce a new law to monitor the functioning and activities of non-governmental organisations (NGO) across the province in view of the guidelines issued by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta).

This was disclosed by Sindh Home Secretary Abdul Kabir Kazi on Friday while addressing a news conference after a meeting was held at the home department to review the province’s progress as regards the implementation of the anti-money laundering proposals of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). The officials of Nacta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) and the relevant agencies had attended the meeting.

The home secretary informed the media that 10,000 NGOs were registered across the province, and out of them 4,000 were functional while some 1,250 non-governmental entities had submitted the audit reports of their accounts to the government.

Kazi said Nacta had issued comprehensive guidelines to the provincial authorities to monitor the functioning of the NGOs, adding that the provincial authorities had been taking steps to prevent terrorism and money being used to finance it.

He said that more steps would be taken to prevent instances of terror financing, bring reforms in the working of seminaries and prevent currency smuggling in the province in the light of the recommendations of the FATF.

Speaking on the occasion, Nacta Director General Mohammad Iqbal said Sindh had a weak system to monitor the working of non-profit organisations, adding that the meeting held earlier in the day had decided to beef up the mechanism to carry out surveillance of welfare organisations operating across the province.

The Nacta DG said that directives had also been issued to the provincial authorities to send details of all the unregistered NGOs operating in Sindh to the federal government. He stressed adopting a policy to monitor the affairs of the collection and sale of hides of sacrificial animals during Eidul Azha, which would be observed in the second week of August.

Mofa Anti-Terrorism DG Ahmed Farooq, who also attended the meeting, said that more steps should be taken to implement the proposals of the FATF so as to meet the regulatory requirements for preventing money laundering carried out to commit terrorism.

He said that all the provincial governments in the country had been asked to submit their reports to share their progress in bringing reforms in the working of seminaries, in preventing currency smuggling and in steps taken to prevent terrorism.

Responding to a question, the home secretary said that there was a complete ban in Sindh on outlawed organisations collecting donations, adding that surveillance was also being carried out to check the working of the proscribed outfits under different names.

He said that more steps would be taken to prevent money laundering and stop funding to the proscribed organisations in view of the recommendations issued by Nacta.