Daily Times

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah Monday suspended orders to stop the South Asia Partnership – Pakistan (SAP-PK), a non-governmental organisation, from functioning in different districts.

The chief justice allowed SAP-PK to continue its activities and ordered the government that no coercive measure would be taken against the staff of the NGO.

The court also summoned responsible functionaries of the Interior Ministry and the Punjab Home Department on next date of hearing.

SAP-PK executive director Muhammad Tahseen had moved a petition. Tahseem had submitted that DPCs of Nankana Sahib, Layyah, Bahawalpur and Bhakkar received letters from respondent Social Welfare and Baitul Maal directing them to stop its activities with immediate effect, to close its offices and suspend its operations throughout the country.

Counsel for petitioner Asma Jahangir submitted that the SAP-PK was a non-profit, non-governmental organisation “established for educational and development purposes, and it has been operating in Pakistan for the last 27 years since 1989, within constitutional limits”.

She submitted that the SAP-PK had been accused of “pursuing anti-state agenda and preparaing a shadow report on violation of human rights in Pakistan in the wake of the National Action Plan (NAP) and Operation Zarb-e-Azb to share it with the United Nations Human Rights Commission”.

She submitted that the letter was “misleading and illegal, as the allegations of producing a shadow report was incorrect and false, and even if such report was to be made, it was within the right of any organisation or individual to do so”. She alleged that local police were harassing the staff of the NGO which is illegal and unconstitutional.

She requested the court to declare the “impugned orders” illegal and unconstitutional. She also requested the court to suspend the “impungned orders” till the final adjudication on the petition.