The federal government has ordered 21 foreign-aid groups to
wrap up their activities and prepare to leave after they failed to
re-register under tough regulations introduced two years ago, officials
said on Thursday.
The officials said Open Society
Foundations, the charity founded by George Soros, and the South
Africa-based ActionAid were among the groups informed of the decision
this week, without providing a complete list.
The
international non-governmental organisations (INGO) have been given two
months to close their offices and vacate the country.
The
government has been scrutinising the documents of another 19
foreign-aid groups to determine whether they should be allowed to work
in the country or not.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief reporters.
The
government has long treated the foreign-aid groups in the country with
suspicion, fearing they could mask efforts to spy on the country.
Islamabad
stepped up its monitoring after the CIA used a vaccination campaign as a
front to gather information on Osama bin Laden ahead of the United
States raid that killed him in 2011.
Jonathan Birchall,
the spokesman for Open Society Foundations, confirmed receiving a letter
from the Interior Ministry rejecting the group's re-registration. He
declined to provide further details.
The group said on
Monday it was seeking clarification after the interior ministry told it
and other organisations that they must halt operations in Pakistan
within 60 days. It said that in 2015 Pakistan ordered all INGOs already
operating in the country to register with the ministry, a process that
entailed submitting detailed accounts of their funding.
“At
the end of November, the interior ministry issued letters advising more
than a dozen INGOs that their applications to register had been
rejected but gave no reasons. The affected organisations may lodge an
appeal within 90 days, but it is not clear how this process will be
managed,” Open Society Foundations said.
Pakistan
Humanitarian Forum, which represents scores of foreign aid groups, says
their work directly benefits about 29 million people in Pakistan.
Foreign-aid groups contributed some $285 million in funding for
development and emergency relief in 2016, and employ over 5,000 local
staff, it said.
The Open Society Foundations first
started working in Pakistan in 2005, providing $3 million of emergency
relief for victims of a devastating earthquake. It provided another $6mn
in emergency funds after severe flooding in 2010.
