Govt fails to tighten checks on NGOs despite crackdown claims

Most organisations do not submit annual audit details

PESHAWAR: In the wake of non-governmental organisations being linked to illegal activities and despite the government pledging to crack down upon such organisations, there are still thousands of NGOs working in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa that go unchecked.

As many as 4,253 local NGOs from across the province are registered with the social welfare department but it neither has a record of the funding from donor agencies nor does it have a mechanism to monitor the activities of such organisations.



Around 1,060 NGOs are working in the development sector of Peshawar alone; however, strangely not much development is seen in the city.

Likewise, over 200 NGOs are working in Abbottabad, while 223 are working in Swabi and around 241 are working in Charsadda but despite receiving millions of rupees in donation not much developmental work has been done in the districts.

The level of poverty has increased manifold in the province but the government has no mechanism to keep a check on the financial records of these NGOs.

Voluntary social welfare agencies do not provide details of their activities and annual expenses to the government department and the government too makes no effort in getting details of these NGOs.

An official at the directorate of social welfare, on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that there is no proper mechanism to monitor the funds NGOs receive, adding that there is only a district officer who keeps check on their activities.



He confirmed that the social welfare department has no record of the billions of rupees received in funds by the NGOs.

According to the legal framework, all voluntary social welfare agencies are bound to provide a record of their assets and activities to the social welfare department. “Organisations registered under the voluntary social welfare agencies (Registration and Control) Ordinance 1961 are required to maintain accounts ad submit an annual report and audit report to district officers. The report must contain details of the management of the agency, its activities and plans for the future”.

Director Social welfare Mohammad Naeem Khan maintained that the department was working to devise a mechanism to keep a check on the finance of the NGOs.

He admitted that they have no records of the financial assets and funds received by the international donors to the voluntary social welfare agencies. Khan further said that they had deregistered around 1,500 NGOs, adding that registration Acts for the NGOs also needed to be amended.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2016.