Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Civil Society Forum (PSCF) on Friday strongly condemned restrictions, which the government has imposed on the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and declared it a new form of martial law.

The government in the wake of new rules and policies in fact was baring NGOs working for the upliftment of humanity, stated PCSF Convener Muhammad Tahseen while addressing a seminar at the Lahore Press Club (LPC). He said that instead of giving value to the services of NGOs that were working for the rights of the people of Pakistan, particularly marginalised sections of the society, the government was imposing restrictions.

He added that an example of this attitude of the government was a letter from the Punjab government, which restricted all human rights and development organisations to get NOCs from Punjab Home Department before organising any activity such as seminars, conferences, research and etc.

He was of the view that some non-state actors were trying to isolate Pakistan from rest of the world, but the civil society sector, particularly rights-based and development organisations, would not let these designs fulfil anyway.

Tahseen said, “This letter by the government is an effort to frighten all those working for the rights of the people. We are working on frontlines to enable innocent people attain their constituently guaranteed rights.”

Meanwhile, other speakers of the seminar stated that every rights-based organisation was respected all over the world, but unfortunately it was not done here in Pakistan. Civil society organisations in Pakistan, since many decades, were working for the stability of democracy and human rights, but for them the government here in Pakistan was creating hurdles, they added.

They were of the view the PCSF, which was a representative body of more than 50 national level rights and developed based organisations in Pakistan, would never let anybody stop their work for humanity.

Speakers said that obtaining of NOCs from district coordination officer and then from the Home Department was not an easy task for a common citizen or any rights-based organization. The government, pretending security reasons, has forcedly stopped the working of NGOs and in some cases has deployed its guards on them, they deplored.

“We are already registered with the government and our programmes, vision and mission are also there in the knowledge of the registering authorities, but the government on the other hand, despite our registration, is declaring NOCs mandatory that in fact makes no sense at all,” said HRCP Secretary General IA Rehman.