Pakistan

Only Islamabad office of Save the Children to remain closed, says Nisar

Interior Minister says his office only provides security clearance, responsibility of registering INGOs lies with EAD

Azam Khan June 15, 2015

Interior Minister says no action will be taken against INGOs till the inter-ministerial committee presents its report. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD: A day after a letter emerged which allowed the international non-governmental organisation (INGO) Save the Children to resume its operations in the country, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Monday denied that the decision to close the aid organistaion had been withdrawn, but insisted that “only the Islamabad office" of the INGO would remain shut.”

“There is status quo on this issue,” he added, but did not give details on status of the INGO’s offices in other provinces.

Nisar, while talking to the media in his chamber at the National Assembly, confirmed that the government had halted any further action against any INGOs given that the prime minister had formed a high level committee to finalise a regulatory framework for such organisations.

Read: Save the Children offices still closed in Pakistan

“We will not close any INGO or put any such organization in red category until the final recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee formed by PM,” Nisar explained about the June 12 letter from the Ministry of Interior on suspending a previous order to shut down Save the Children.

Asked about the INGO’s suspected involvement in the Osama Bin Laden raid, Nisar said there was no evidence on record to support that claim. He added that Save the Children was a respected INGO which was registered in 1997, during the second Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, regime and in 2014 the organization’s ownership was spilt between three countries.

The interior minister added that many organizations are doing a good job and the government will facilitate such INGOs.

Nisar reiterated that all aid organisations operating in the country will be regularised and a registration checking process for this purpose would be introduced soon. He added said only the interior ministry can grant security clearance to a NGO while their monitoring is carried out by the Economic Affairs Division (EAD).

Read: Save the Children allowed to resume operations in Pakistan

“Responsibility of registration of NGOs totally lies with the Economic Affairs Division and the ministry of interior only acts as a facilitator,” Nisar said, adding that there was a proposal to bring the control of NGOs under the interior ministry, as EAD was not relevant platform for this task.

In a separate move, a presser issued by PM office says that the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed the high level inter-ministerial committee, set up under Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi for reviewing laws and regulations regarding accreditation and working conditions of INGOs working in Pakistan, to submit their report expeditiously.

Nisar hoped that once the committee forms a set of regulations, the international backlash would subside.

COMMENTS (10)

Muhammad | 9 years ago | Reply @S.R.H. Hashmi: Thank you very much for your informing the Nation about the US Citizens children of Chaudhry Nisar. Now we know the reason of re-allowing the Save the Children to resume its activities.

Sohail Abbasi | 9 years ago | Reply i don't believe, is he the same Ch nisar who were screaming against this NGO on TV couple of days ago??

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Fawad khan | 9 years ago | Reply They cannot close one NGO and they claim sovereignty. So much for the claim where Nawaz Sharif said he conducted nuclear tests despite international pressure.

S.R.H. Hashmi | 9 years ago | Reply First of all, acting at ten times the level of courage that you have, you issue a letter ordering closure of Save the Children offices. And when you get pressure from influential quarters, you withdraw the order and say that only Islamabad office of the INGO will stay closed. Also that “We will not close any INGO or put any such organization in red category until the final recommendations of an inter-ministerial committee formed by PM.” And why only Islamabad office is to stay closed? Now, if Islamabad office is to stay closed because of involvement in suspected undesirable activities, is it all right for such activities to be continued in the rest of the country? We know that with your wife and children reportedly holding US citizenship, you can’t really afford to get tough with the US. So why feign toughness which you can not really maintain? Surely, one should show maturity in dealing with INGOs because of the repercussions it could have internationally. Of course, this does not mean that they should be given a free hand to do whatever they liked, as appears to have been the practice in the past. Their activities should be strictly controlled and they should not be allowed to act outside their stated and agreed field of activity and in a manner which harms the interests of the host country. However, all this banning and reinstating should be done after due consideration of the case and not in a haphazard manner, at the whims and fancies of an individual or a group of individuals, only to be reversed the next day or the day after, because such acts reflect badly on the people doing these, apart from making the country a laughing stock. Karachi

Rustam Chowki | 9 years ago | Reply Does this dude actually know what he is doing ?? Or this simply the case of the Pakistani government yet again capitulating to Western interests. This appears to be habitual regardless of who is in power.

Repeat | 9 years ago | Reply Pakistanis have no shame. Dying of hunger and poverty, they still want to deprive their children of any help. Either take care of your sick malnourished children dying of so many diseases or let foreigners at least help them. Paranoid nation. U guys deserve to be like this.

AmericanMuse | 9 years ago | Reply Mr. Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has a very peculiarly arrogant look and manner, like he is always scrowling. This man should resign after his Save the Children fiasco!

JD | 9 years ago | Reply So its like the Sharifs telling the Taliban not to target Punjab?

curious2 | 9 years ago | Reply Asked about the INGO’s suspected involvement in the Osama Bin Laden raid, Nisar said there was no evidence on record to support that claim. He added that Save the Children was a respected INGO . This the same Nisar that only a couple days ago made a Chest Thumping speech criticizing Save the Children? And why does the Islamabad office remain closed? Every time Nisar talks it demonstrates he's not qualified to hold such an important office.

MSH | 9 years ago | Reply No Justification ..Mr U turn...... ..

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