The Ministry of Interior on Tuesday approved resumption of operations of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and decided to inaugurate the Safe City Project next month, almost seven months behind its schedule.
These decisions were taken during a meeting chaired by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and attended by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) national coordinator, Islamabad’s inspector general of police, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) chairman, ICT chief commissioner, deputy commissioner, Safe City Project (project) director, interior secretary, interior special secretary and senior officials of the ministry.
The INGOs which have been cleared by the Interior Ministry include Japan’s Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi; Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF); Operational Centre Brussels, Belgium; UK’s Sight Savers (Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind); Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), France; Qatar Charity, Qatar; Jhpiego Corporation, USA; Oxfam Great Britain, UK; HelpAge International, UK; Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Holland; Care International, USA; Secours Islamique France; Association for Aid and Relief Japan; JEN (Japan Emergency NGOs); International Medical Corps (IMC), USA; Saudi Relief Committee for Afghanistan (SRCA), Saudi Arabia; Relief International USA; World Learning Inc, USA; Sakura Wheelchair Project, Japan; Action Against Hunger, USA; Midland Doctors Association, UK; Terre des hommes Foundation, Switzerland; The Fred Hollows Foundation, Australia; Health Care 4 All International, UK; Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Relief Campaign for Pakistan, KSA; and American Refugee Committee International, USA.
Addressing members of the ministry’s INGOs committee, the minister ordered that the process of registration be further expedited in consultation with all stakeholders. He said that the new policy was aimed at facilitating INGOs and to regulate their affairs, thus making the entire system more transparent and work-friendly on one hand and to build a strong partnership of governmental and non-governmental sector in all areas of development on the other hand.
Quoting a letter from the Pakistan Humanitarian Forum wherein a representative body of the INGOs appreciated the interior minister and his ministry for their support to the INGOs and their commitment to making the new system successful, Nisar observed that it was encouraging to see the response of the non-governmental bodies towards the efforts aimed at regulating the system.
The Interior Ministry, he said, was ready to assist the provinces in putting in place a similar mechanism for the registration of NGOs in the provinces and thus regulating their affairs.
SAFE CITY PROJECT:
The meeting decided to inaugurate the Safe City Project next month. Previously, the project was slated for inauguration in September last year. During the meeting, the minister was apprised that the project had passed its test phase and was ready to be formally inaugurated. He was informed that the integration of security as well as traffic management systems of the federal capital in the project would not only complement efforts of law-enforcement agencies in prevention, detection and crime control but would also render a huge help in resource optimization, especially human resources.
The minister was informed that successful execution of the project and its effectiveness vis-a-vis curbing crime and traffic management would enable this model to be replicated in all major cities across the country.
Later, the Safe City Project director gave a detailed briefing on overall performance, including the areas under surveillance, various features of the project and the future prospects.
Chaudhry Nisar meanwhile accepted the invitation to inaugurate the project in April this year.
On the issue of shifting of offices from residential areas, the minister directed the Islamabad Police chief to immediately shift their offices from residential areas in the light of directives of the Supreme Court. He observed that “we respect observations of the superior judiciary. The Supreme Court’s order will be implemented in letter and spirit.”
The meeting also reviewed progress on new technology-based initiatives being put in place by the ICT Police to improve policing, curb crimes and promote greater liaison with the public, thus making the Police Department a truly professional, responsive, people-friendly and a premier force.
During discussion on private security companies, the interior minister ordered that the licences of those private security companies who have not submitted their particulars and details to the ICT administration be cancelled.
About the household survey in the ICT, the minister was briefed that only 303 houses located in posh areas and inhabited by foreigners had not yet shared their particulars with the police. Upon this, the meeting decided to block entrance and exit points of these houses from Wednesday and notices to this effect would be issued by the ICT Police on Tuesday evening.
The meeting also learnt that earlier two legal notices had been served to such houses and the inmates were supposed to submit the requested particulars by March 15.
In view of security concerns, the Interior Ministry has been making efforts for the past one-and-a-half years that no unregistered person resides in the federal capital.