LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court on Friday directed a deputy attorney general (DAG) to seek instructions from the federal government on the maintainability of a petition challenging the working of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Pakistan.
Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed asked DAG Illyas Kashmiri to consult the Interior Ministry, the respondent, and submit his reply on the next hearing on June 7.
Petitioner Advocate Salman Akram Raja said the federal government should be asked to inform the court under what law the agency was functioning in the country. He said the government should also explain whether it was supervising USAID’s operations or not.
He said that under the Constitution, a foreign agency could function inside Pakistan only if its working was in the interest of the country.
The petitioner said that if USAID’s activities in Pakistan violated the constitution, the court should issue directions for it to halt operations.
USAID is responsible for administering projects funded in recipient countries by the aid provided by the US government. It was founded in 1961 by an executive order of President JF Kennedy. According to its motto, USAID “extends a helping hand to overseas people struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 31st, 2011.
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