SC orders secretary law, justice commission to file report on action taken against illegal NGOs
The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday directed the secretary Law and Justice Commission to file a report on illegal non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating in Pakistan within three weeks which would then be sent to federation and provinces for initiation of action against such outfits.
A two-member bench of SC presided over by Justice Amir Hani Muslim took up the case for hearing on Tuesday.
Sajid Bhatti appeared on behalf of government and law officers represented provinces in the court. They presented the reports in the court but the court directed Law and Justice Commission Secretary Sarwar Khan to compile these reports and present them before it.
Justice Amir Hani Muslim remarked during the hearing, “Had the government been active in its job, the matter would not have come to SC. These are policy matters. What can the courts do? Will the government not do anything on its own? Asking for details of funds is not our job; it is the job of the government. If government does not want anything done about something, it forms committees”.
Justice Dost Muhammad said, “This is the job of FIA’s cyber wing that it should trace the money sent to NGOs from other countries. Who is this money being sent to and for what purpose? Where does the money in NGOs accounts come from?”
Balochistan told the court that they had ordered NGOs to get their accounts audited, adding that the outfits that did not comply with the directives had been stopped from operating.
Razzaq A Mirza said that the Punjab government had banned several NGOs.
Sajid Bhatti said that progress was being made in the implementation of National Action Plan (NAP).
The court criticised the government’s lethargy and said that NAP and NGOs’ funding should have been the first priority.
The court adjourned the hearing for 3 weeks.
