Pakistan

US expresses concerns over closure of Save the Children in Pakistan

Urges government to standardise a process to allow INGOs to work legally in the country

Web Desk June 12, 2015

A policeman stands guard outside the office of the international charity ‘Save the Children’ sealed by order of authorities in Islamabad on June 11, 2015. PHOTO: AFP

US government on Friday expressed its concerns over Pakistani authorities sealing shut international non-governmental organisation (INGO) Save the Children's office in Islamabad, and urged Islamabad to standardise a transparent process for allowing aid group to work legally in Pakistan.

According to a statement from the US Department of State late on Friday, US asked Pakistan to streamline a transparent process to allow smooth functioning of INGOs working in the country.

The statement came a day after authorities in federal capital sealed the Islamabad offices of Save the Children, and told its expatriate staff to leave the country within 15 days.

Acknowledging Pakistan’s concerns regarding the transparency of activities of INGOs, including Save the Children, the State Department said it shares Islamabad's goal of promoting a secure, economically vibrant, democratic Pakistan.

While agreeing that INGOs must operate within the relevant legal and regulatory framework, it remined Islamabad that US support to Pakistan involves channeling financial support through INGOs such as Save the Children. It added that many of these INGOs had reported experiencing difficulties while operating in the country in recent times.

Emphasising on the importance of INGOs, the statement added that INGOs are important part of the international development community's effort to support the Pakistani government in facilitating effective and meaningful development.

Read: Save the Children office sealed in Islamabad

Earlier on Friday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan accused some NGOs in Pakistan of being backed by the United States, Israel and India.

“Their activities were being monitored for a long time. They were doing something which was against Pakistan’s interest,” said the official without giving his name because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Nisar said that there are several NGOs operating in Pakistan without any specific agenda. He alleged that most of them were taking part in “anti-Pakistan” activities.

In the notice served to Save the Children, it said that the INGO was involved in "anti-Pakistan activities."

COMMENTS (9)

Ozair | 9 years ago | Reply US is not concerned abt Pak nuclear energy needs. Its only concerned abt our children. Funny. Us supports India in Nukes. Save the children's ban stings Us. Us, Israel India are against Pak interests.

Sohail | 9 years ago | Reply If Ch. Nisar is not personally benefitted, then it should be shut down.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Pakistani Journalist | 9 years ago | Reply @unbelievable @ikhan You seem to be highly paid employees of Save the Child and perhaps carry good intention.. Being a journalist, I have some idea how efficient your team is and how transparent your systems are. I had some chance to cover the stories in 2010 floods, the international staff that your org had deployed across the cnoutry had very interesting backgrounds and majority had every experience but of emergency programming. our sources in your national staff also shared interesting stories how the politically driven funds then were exploited for internal politics, systemic corruption and womanizing by a group who used to hold parties in their private club maintained in F-8 are a few of the remarkable work done.

kashif | 9 years ago | Reply A good criterion for measuring effectiveness of any government action is to see how US reacts to that. If it elicits "concern" or "worry" etc, it's patently good action.

lkhan | 9 years ago | Reply @unbeleivable: totally agree with you.. Save the Children is a laudable NGO doing remarkable work in all parts of the world for the cause of children; too many of whom live in streets, are used as child labour, slavery and worse in Pakistan. There being next to no empathy for the suffering of the millions who live below poverty lines in Pakistan, those living in their golden cages take and make paranoid decisions in a dictatorial manner. For one, I laud the improvement in the lives of 4 million children, no mean achievement, thanks to the efforts of StC. It should either be accused transparently, or allowed to continue its work which benefits the nation.

Ahmed | 9 years ago | Reply Pakistan should have known that America has never been its friend, in-fact an enemy of Pakistan. It only wants to use Pakistan for its interest, it wants to keep Pakistan beholden to itself and extract as much benefits as possible. Wake up Pakistan. Alliance of China, Pakistan and Iran is a formidable economic entity, If anybody has doubts about US evil intentions he should read Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations".

Zahid | 9 years ago | Reply Why US Government so interesting in INGO to operate in Pakistan, there must be something fishy fishy US should not involve in Pakistan matters

unbeleivable | 9 years ago | Reply Closing down an internationally recognized charity with nothing other than a chest thumping news conference is something you would expect from N Korea or maybe the old Soviet Union. No court proceeding - just innuendo and typical Interior Ministry rubbish. . Who speaks for the thousands of Pakistani children that won't get aid? This organization was run by Pakistanis and employed over a thousand ... who speaks for them? Nisar apparently wasn't aware that this organization didn't employ any expatriates .. what's that say about Nisar or his motives? .

Waseem | 9 years ago | Reply No more funny business with us. Pack and leave or else.

Replying to X