INGO rules

This refers to the news report, ‘All INGOs allowed to work for six months’ (June 17). It was Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf’s agenda to introduce INGOs. Musharraf was allergic to local NGOs and time and again blamed them for our ills and their direct involvement in human rights issues at national and international levels. At that time there was no check on INGOs which came in dozens in the name of social development.
The question is: why are these INGOs directly interacting with local communities? Why are they not outsourcing their activities to local NGOs and community-based organisations? For the moment it seems the government has bowed down to international pressure and decided to grant six months to INGOs. But the issue is: what type of new regulations will the government decide for the registration of INGOs in Pakistan? The government should not rely on the interior ministry or EAD alone for framing of laws. It should rely on the experience of local NGOs, RSPs, national donors and frame permanent laws for INGO registration. The government should ask them to outsource at least 90 percent activities to local NGOs and prefer local hirings. The government can also suggest priority areas to INGOs and properly monitor their activities.
Aijaz Ali Khuwaja
Karachi