Authorities seal: NGO Pattan’s office for operating ‘illegally’

ISLAMABAD: The district administration on Friday sealed the office of Pattan, a civil society organisation, on charges of operating “illegally”.

The Pattan Coalition-38 is a network of civil society organisations (CSOs), labour unions, community-based organisations (CBOs), and intellectuals.

In a statement today, the administration said it sealed Pattan’s office in Islamabad’s Sector F-15, noting that the non-governmental organisation was dissolved in 2019. It added that no court has cancelled the dissolution of the NGO to date.

Earlier this month, the organisation — in its report on the February 8 general elections, titled “War on Voters?” — demanded the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for alleged electoral rigging, The News reported. The report urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to fulfil its commitment to investigating the allegations made by Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattah, who publicly accused the ECP chief and a former top judge.

Additionally, the report appealed to human rights and women’s rights groups, the National Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women, and the UNDP to demand that the ECP and the government immediately allocate all reserved seats for women and minorities without further delay.

The same report was shared by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a dossier to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) termed the Pattan report a continuation of “baseless and fabricated propaganda to defame institutions”.

A spokesman of the electoral body said that it would have been appropriate to take viewpoint from the Election Commission before publishing the report.

Meanwhile, Pattan strongly condemned sealing of residence of PATTANs National Coordinator and eviction of his family members by force.

It said since the launching of PATTANs report on Pakistan general elections, Islamabad police have visited residence of Sarwar Bari, National Coordinator, twice in two weeks. On 21st February more than a dozen of police officials along with two magistrates searched his residence and later sealed it. His wife along with her 90 years old khala were forced to leave the home.

As usual, the pretext that is being used to punish PATTAN for discovering unprecedented rigging means in the Feb elections, is utterly baseless. Virtually a three-liner notice (attached) for sealing the premise carries no solid ground. It says PATTAN NGO was deregistered on 19 November 2019 and since then, it has been running its affairs illegally. Hence, it was necessary to close it working and to take legal action against the organisation. “Please note, we never received any de-registration notice from the registration authority.”

Rather, interestingly, the Election Commission of Pakistan had issued accreditation to PATTAN and accreditation cards to PATTANs election observers. We can produce all the record to media.