‘INGOs not involved in illegal activities’

Online portal for NGO registration established, ministry tells Senate panel

ISLAMABAD:

A federal ministry has informed a parliamentary panel that it has established an online portal for the registration and licensing of local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The ministry has approved 370 projects worth $160 million proposed by these NGOs in the last year.

Officials from the Ministry of Economic Affairs Division on Wednesday briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue, and Economic Affairs on the status of local and foreign NGOs run by religious organizations of different types.

They reported that in the past year, the ministry has rejected the request of only one NGO.

Now, NGOs must demonstrate that they have received funding through official banking channels in compliance with the conditions imposed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The officials emphasized that religious NGOs are essentially non-profit organizations, and several local organizations of this nature operate in Pakistan under provincial jurisdiction.

We monitor foreign-funded NGOs. Some NGOs are working to assist the Christian community, receiving annual assistance ranging from $20,000 to $25,000. In the past year, we have received 1,100 requests from such NGOs, they said.

Acknowledging that NGOs operating in rural areas may face security challenges, the officials noted that some NGOs must operate according to the conditions set by their donors.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured the committee that registered INGOs are dedicated to the betterment and welfare of the country.

They expressed confidence that INGOs are not involved in prohibited activities and mentioned that they verify this through their staff in foreign countries. Civil societies also monitor INGOs, they added.

During the meeting, officials from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) provided a briefing on foreign aid received for the victims of the 2022 floods.

They stated that the Ministry of Planning oversees the relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected individuals and that they carried out this work under the Ministry of Planning to address natural disasters. Foreign aid is received by government representatives.

The NDMA officials reported that they ensured the delivery of aid to the affected areas, giving top priority to the most affected regions.

Following the prime minister's instructions, the task of distributing aid in the provinces was assigned. Practical guidelines were established, allocating 25% of external aid to Balochistan, 8% to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 10% to Punjab, and 60% to Sindh.

Furthermore, the NDMA officials disclosed plans to allocate 2.5% of foreign aid to Gilgit-Baltistan and 1.5% to Azad Kashmir.

In response to Senator Palwasha Khan's inquiry about how NDMA ensures transparency in aid distribution, the officials explained that NDMA manages the oversight of aid distribution and has not received any reports of irregularities in the supplies.