A global children’s aid agency Wednesday said it regretted Pakistan’s government ordering staff to leave the country and denied it was ever involved in the CIA’s hunt for Osama bin Laden. Pakistan had ordered all Save the Children’s foreign staff to leave the country within four weeks in the wake of accusations linking it to a fake vaccination program launched to track down the Al-Qaeda chief.
However, local media quoted interior minister Rehman Malik as saying on Saturday that the organization’s expatriate staff members in Pakistan would not now be expelled. But Save the Children said in a statement Wednesday that it had not received official confirmation of the seeming U-turn and would still send four expatriate workers home. “Save the Children has not received written documentation (from the interior ministry) to support these statements,” the charity said. It added: “Consequently, we are left with no option but to ask the four remaining expatriate staff members in Islamabad to leave the country by September 13. “While we regret that these talented and committed humanitarian workers are leaving the country, our remaining 2,000 Pakistani staff members, including our Senior Management Team in-country, will ensure operations in Pakistan.” Save the Children employs a total of six expatriate staff members in Pakistan — a Bangladeshi, an Irish citizen, three British nationals and one American citizen.
Two of the foreign staff members were not in the country when the government issued the expulsion order. “We hope that our six expatriate staff members will be allowed to return to Pakistan soon,” the charity added. Save the Children said no explanation had been given for the cancellation of the staff visas but added it would seek to cooperate with authorities to clear up any doubts.
