Civil society concerned over move to close 21 INGOs

Civil society organisations (CSOs) from across Sindh have expressed concern over the government’s notification asking 21 international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) to shut down their operations for not being regularised under the official policy.

Terming the notification a violation of international conventions and fundamental rights, they said the decision would negatively impact the already underdeveloped Pakistan, which needed international support to improve its health and education sectors.

Organised by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (Piler) on Thursday, the meeting – ‘Intimidations to Civil Society in Pakistan and Way Forward to Tackle the Issue’ – stressed that the role of INGOs in making efforts to ensure human rights was crucial given the fact that Pakistan was part of many international conventions.

“We express solidarity with INGOs and fear that this step would bring a bad name for Pakistan at international forums,” stated a resolution passed on the occasion.

The gathering resolved to challenge the government’s policy for regularisation of INGOs and local NGOs in the superior courts, saying that such a policy violated the fundamental rights of association and expression. It is not law but a government policy, which can be challenged in court, they added.

The meeting underlined the need for unity among CSOs, creating linkage with all sections of society and conducting advocacy with stakeholders such as legislators and political parties. They said political parties were currently drawing up their manifestos for the 2018 general elections so they would be asked to clear their policies on CSOs.

Piler Executive Director Karamat Ali said freedom of association and freedom of expression were important rights and if we were to compromise on them, we would return to the era of slavery. “We have to tell the bureaucracy they are public servants and not our rulers.”

Ali said that banning INGOs was a serious issue and, in fact, a violation of the fundamental right of association, adding that martial law regimes compromised on fundamental rights of citizens.

He said Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who was president of the All India Postal Staff Union in 1926, had struggled for the passage of the India Trade Union Act 1926 in the Imperial Legislative Council.

Later, when Ayub Khan was the country’s president, he scrapped the important law, usurping the rights of association and collective bargaining for workers, he added.

Ali said that in 1947 some 209 trade unions were registered, their membership exceeding 500,000 and overall trade union participation was 25 per cent, but now only one per cent of the workers were registered.

He said the interior ministry had written to INGOs, asking them to shut down their operations within 60 days, adding that the affected organisations could file an appeal with the committee that had revoked their registration within 90 days. He remarked that the step was taken without any legal reason. The Piler chief said that even the partners of these organisations were considered INGOs, thus facing similar actions. He cited a newspaper report in which an official of the interior ministry claimed that the 21 INGOs were banned because they were spreading awareness of fundamental rights among residents of remote areas. “This is an attempt to turn Pakistan into a police state.”

He pointed out that such government policies were illegal and unconstitutional because they were against fundamental rights. “We have to challenge this policy in court.”

Pakistan Press Foundation Chairman Owais Aslam Ali said a narrative was developed that the media were not behaving properly, adding that during dictatorial regimes the media were restricted, but they expanded after launching of private TV channels in 2002.

Human rights activist Iqbal Detho said that many international institutions were available to file complaints against violation of fundamental rights, while Punhal Sario of the Sindh Hari Porhiat Council said we lived in a controlled democracy where the media and civil society were controlled. In the past 20 years, de-politicisation has rapidly increased, he added.

Another human rights activist Kapil Dev said that now “for-profit” management firms and foreign consortiums were being strengthened and being allowed to take over the space of INGOs, while Ghulam Mustafa Khoso of the Sami Foundation said a united voice should be raised against the government’s decision to ban 21 INGOs.

Piler’s Zulfiqar Shah said that many heavyweight organisations such as ActionAid, Trócaire and Open Society Foundations, which were working in Pakistan for the past many years, had been asked to shut down their operations, adding that the entire process of regularisation of INGOs was vague.

Jamil Junejo of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) said a policy for regularisation of INGOs was notified in 2013 under which it was made essential for all NGOs and INGOs to be cleared by the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) and to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with it for three years.

In case an NGO or INGO was found to be violating a section of the MoU, the entire registration of the organisation would be cancelled and not just the MoU, he added.

Noor Muhammad Bajeer of the Civil Society Support Programme said that when the EAD policy was announced, many organisations had rejected the guidelines and taken the stance that they were already registered so they did not need to get registered with the EAD as well.

PFF Chairperson Muhammad Ali Shah claimed on the occasion that only rights-based and advocacy-based organisations such as ActionAid were targeted under the EAD policy.