En route to facilitating NGOs

The UN has approved several project proposals related to health, sanitation and water supply for the Fata area

In some parts of Pakistan particularly in the Northwest, basic amenities such as healthcare, education and every so often, even food and shelters are provided to locals by NGOs. These organisations, both local and international, are responsible for having set up schools and rural healthcare centres in remote corners of Pakistan and for providing disaster relief facilities as and when needed. However, NGO activity has come under suspicion in recent years since many receive their funding from abroad and are accused of promoting foreign interests. In the tribal belt of Fata where militancy and army operations have ravaged the land and internally displaced millions, the presence of NGOs is a boon to the local community. The EU and the UN are just some of the international organisations which fund these NGOs. The UN has approved several project proposals related to health, sanitation, rehabilitation and water supply for the Fata area. However, the work of NGOs in Fata has ground to halt due to a government security stipulation which requires them to obtain No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Army and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the directorate of health in Fata.

It has come to light that of the 25 NGOs that have applied for NOCs during the past several months, only one has been able to receive it thus far. The delay is attributed to more stringent security requirements that have been put in place in areas where the displaced are being hosted. In the meantime, it is feared that the funds allotted to various projects in the region will lapse due to remaining unutilised. For now, the local health facilities are unable to cope with the influx of the internally displaced that have arrived over the last three years. There is an urgent need to speed up the process of issuing relevant security clearances to NGOs to enable them to launch vital services. It has emerged that some effort in this regard has been made by Fata’s directorate of health. While this is appreciated, more must be done by the authorities concerned to facilitate such organisations.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2016.

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