A recent briefing to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety revealed that only 1,000 out of over 18,000 NGOs in Pakistan are officially registered. The committee expressed deep concern over the large number of unregulated organizations, calling them a possible threat to national security and sensitive national matters.
In response, the committee urged the government to establish a comprehensive national framework to monitor and regulate all NGOs. Officials emphasized that unregistered groups can easily avoid oversight, increasing the risk of misuse of funds and other illegal activities.
The committee also reviewed progress on several welfare projects but was disappointed by delays in meeting deadlines. It criticized the failure to complete a key pilot project by the July target and summoned the Finance Secretary and Secretary for Industries and Production to explain the setbacks in the next meeting.
Moreover, the committee requested the presence of the governor of the State Bank of Pakistan and representatives from private banks in the upcoming session. This move aims to address ongoing coordination problems between government agencies and financial institutions involved in poverty reduction programs.
Meanwhile, officials shared updates on the Prime Minister’s Ramazan Relief Package. So far, 2.7 million deserving families have received aid through digital wallets, falling short of the 3.5 million families originally targeted. The committee stressed the need to speed up disbursements to reach all eligible beneficiaries.
This latest development underlines the urgent need for tighter regulation of NGOs and better execution of welfare programs. With strong coordination and improved oversight, the government hopes to ensure both national security and effective poverty relief.