Comprehensive law to be introduced for registration of INGOs

ISLAMABAD: Senate functional body on Human Rights Wednesday asked for introducing a concrete legislation in parliament for registration of International Non-Government Organizations (INGOs).

The committee members were of the view that civil society organizations was working on Human Rights issues should be given chance to serve people living below poverty line.

The HR body, chaired by Senator Nasreen Jalil also urged that if the government had established a policy to register international organizations, it should be rooted through legislative process.

Senator Farhat Ullah Baber said that a number of organizations were working for the welfare of people on our land but facing hindrance in work due to new policy of registration.

Senator Mohsin Khan Laghari was of the view that national agenda should be the top priority of every country and Pakistan had right to protect our identity.

“We have to determine our national interest and the hidden agenda of any organization working on our land should be exposed”, he shared.

Additional Secretary Interior, giving a detailed briefing on the issue informed that 39 INGOs applied for registration to interior ministry among which cases of 66 were approved while six organizations have not responded to any of their letter.

He informed that the interior ministry had asked the International organizations to submit their annual reports, audit reports and other documents and those who produce the required data got the license without any hassle.

While those organizations whose objectives are contradictory to their work area are not cleared, he explained.

He further clarified that the said organizations had been notified to complete their ongoing projects in six month and later a six days extension was also given to them after which action had been taken against them.

The discussion on two bills on rights of transgenders was deferred till next meeting seeking movers of the bills to come with concrete recommendations.

The committee members also recommended that medical should not be mandatory for the trans-genders to protect their self dignity in inheritance cases.

But, they added, in case of complicated matters, it could be done on the orders of the court.

The committee was further informed that 289 recommendations were issued on the Universal Periodical Report presented by Ministry of Human Rights in Geneva in November last.

Among which, 111 were accepted, seven rejected, while 109 are still pending on which consultations are going on.