NGOs more powerful than government and its institutions

ISLAMABAD: As just recently proved by Save the Children, the foreign-funded and dollar-driven NGOs are more powerful than the government of Pakistan and its institutions, as they continue to circumvent all attempts to regulate and audit their funding.
In the second half of 2013, the government had made it mandatory for all foreign-funded NGOs, local or foreign, to get registered with the Economic Affairs Division and declare their bank accounts as well as names of their contributors but despite the lapse of almost two years it could not happen because of the influence of these NGOs and the missing legislation.
The draft legislation named “Foreign Contributions Act” was also prepared a year ago but is still under review apparently because of extreme pressure from powerful NGOs to continue enjoying the present “free for all” environment.
Within a few months of its coming into power in 2013, the PML-N government had resolved to regulate the NGOs and their foreign funding after the reported involvement of certain foreign-funded NGOs in anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam activities in the country. After two years of complete failure to regulate the NGOs and check their anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam agenda, the federal government last week again resolved to get closed all those NGOs which are violating the law of the land or crossing the “red-lines”
Save the Children, which was involved in the CIA operation against Osama Bin Laden, was the first one to face the axe as the interior minister announced its closure. But within no time and following immense pressure from world capitals, the government withdrew the notification and allowed it to continue till further order.
The government’s U-turn in the case of Save the Children has not only embarrassed the government it has humiliated the whole nation as this incident proved that Pakistan is not independent even to take a decision against an NGO which it said has been involved in anti-Pakistan activities.
Although the government now claims that it is considering evolving a mechanism for the NGOs, the fact remains that in late 2013 even a notification was issued by the government warning that if foreign-funded NGOs are desirous of utilising within Pakistan their foreign economic assistance including money, services and goods that emanate from outside Pakistan, they will have to follow the new set of rules notified by the EAD.
The notification added that no unregistered organisation, receiving foreign funding, would be allowed to operate. According to the policy notification issued following a decision taken by the ECC to regulate these NGOs, every organisation would be bound to declare to the EAD all its foreign contributions, along with the terms and conditions of those contributions, as well as details of all bank accounts maintained by them.
As per the approved policy, the government had decided that all foreign-funded NGOs would maintain their accounts under internationally recognised accounting standards and would get these accounts audited on an annual basis by a registered chartered accountancy firm. It was added that these NGOs would provide to the government (EAD) a copy of the audited annual statements along with a certificate from auditors to the effect that the foreign contributions have been utilised for the objectives of the organisations.
It was also decided that these organisations would also provide to the government and concerned provincial/local governments on annual basis a report on their activities. The planning and development departments of the provincial governments were supposed to review the activities of these organisations in the context of their development framework and priorities.
Within a period of six months, the government in 2013 had intended to complete the registration process for all such NGOs but it could not be done. It was pledged that only those NGOs would be cleared, which would sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the EAD. The MoU would include, amongst other things, the work and geographical area in which the NGO would operate.
To regulate the utilisation of foreign contributions and for matters connected with their work, the draft Foreign Contribution Act, 2014 law was prepared but was never finalised and enacted.