Registration of 9,000 NGOs cancelled

LAHORE:To fulfill the demand of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), registration of 9,000 Non Government Organisation (NGOs) working in the metropolitan city has been cancelled, The News has learnt.

According to Registrar Joint Stock Companies (RJSC) District Officer Muhammad Azhar Hussain, around 12,000 NGOs were registered under Registration of Societies Act 1860. Registration of 9,000 NGOs has been cancelled and accounts of the NGOs have been frozen on the instruction of Ministry of Interior. Registration of NGOs was cancelled over non-compliance of required law, said Azhar Hussain. The registration of the NGOs was cancelled for reasons like failing to provide audit reports, accounts details and information about the sources of funding to the relevant departments.

Once an NGO is registered under Registration of Societies Act 1860, no one can cancel registration of an NGO, the scribe asked from the RJSC district officer and said RJSC has no authority to freeze the accounts of NGOs. The district officer responded, “Under Registration of Societies Act 1860, we can only have authority to register NGOs, but cannot cancel registration of any NGO. On the instruction of Ministry of Interior, we cancelled registration after taking help from allied laws and clauses. Those who can register, they can cancel registration.” To a question, the district officer said if someone thinks that the cancellation of NGOs’ registration is unlawful, he can knock at the door of judiciary. Members of civil societies showed concern over increasing number of cancellation of NGOs registration in the country.