NAB to probe affairs of local, international NGOs

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to investigate the affairs of all local and international NGOs working in Pakistan.

The NAB Executive Board decided that record of all NGOs and INGOs will be checked as they have been accused of not only misusing but also misappropriating funds. "The NAB board has decided to investigate alleged misappropriation of funds by the NGOs and INGOs," said a press release issued by the NAB headquarters.

Coincidentally, the issue of INGOs came under discussion in the National Assembly when former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said most of the INGOs were involved in misuse of funds given to them for the different sectors like education, health, law and order / police reforms, etc. He said when he banned all INGOs, the governments of the US and UK raised a hue and cry and opposed that decision. "I am astonished why both governments came for the support of INGOs," he added.

He said a major chunk of funds released by the UK and US for different programmes in Pakistan was swallowed by INGOs.

A NAB official told media that the bureau had received some complaints and on their basis action would taken against NGOs and INGOs.

He said the first NAB would get details of all NGOs and INGOs from the interior ministry and the Economic Affairs Division about their place of work, goals and objectives and foreign funding. The official said NAB had prepared a questionnaire which would be sent to the NGOs and INGOs to get further details. It is for the first time that NAB is going to take such an action against NGOs and INGOs.

Former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar had barred INGOs from working in Pakistan while his successor Ahsan Iqbal has allowed almost all of them to work again.

Mr Iqbal said that the government should not create unnecessary barriers to foreign investment and give due time and chance to clear INGOs.

He defended the government's recent move to allow INGOs to continue their operations in the country till a final decision on their appeals against cancellation of their registration. There was an anomaly in the procedure for registration of INGOs which the interior ministry had now removed, he added. The INGOs had been given 90 days to file an appeal against cancellation of their registration, whereas under the rules such organisations were required to leave the country within 60 days.

The NAB board also approved filing of 10 references, five investigations and six inquiries.

The references will filed against former chief secretary of Sindh Siddique Memon, former speaker of the Balochistan Assembly Jan Mohammad Jamali and former secretary Azim Devi, former additional secretary of Balochistan Ali Zaheer, officials of Medical Stores Department of Balochistan and officials of revenue department of Balochistan - Mian Abuzar Shad, Khalid Mehmood Chadda and Syed Asif Akhtar Hashmi.