PHC asks govt to hear 2 NGOs over ban

PESHAWAR: The PHC has issued directives to the federal and provincial governments to give a chance of hearing to two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) before banning their activities by declaring them security risk and then pass a detailed order with reasons.

A division bench in its detailed order authored by Justice Ikramullah Khan directed the federal and provincial governments to give a chance of hearing to two NGOs including PAIMAN Alumni Trust and CAMP before its decision on its fate whether to ban or not their activities. The bench declared that the federal government had not explained the reasons for banning the NGOs. It said that the federal government should first hear the NGOs and then explain in a detailed order the reasons declaring them a security risk. However, the NGOs would continue implementing projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which had been stopped by the provincial government for security concerns till the order of the government. Both the NGOs had challenged the Home and Tribal Affairs Department notifications in which a ban was imposed on them for carrying out their project and activities.