PESHAWAR: The NWFP government has lifted the ban on the registration of new non-governmental organisations (NGO) two days after the imposition of the ban and revoked its orders for conducting classification and categorisation of the NGO already working in the province.

Sources from the NGO told Daily Times that the NGO forums across the province had expressed reservations about the ban and classification orders instigated by the provincial social welfare minister. NGO also said that legally the said minister did not have the authority to impose a ban on NGO registration. On April 15, the NWFP Minister for Social Welfare, Women Development and Special Education Sitara Ayaz had imposed a ban on the registration of new NGO and announced the classification and categorisation of all those already in existence in the province. The minister had announced that scrutiny and monitoring committees would be constituted at the district level to evaluate the performance of the NGO.

NGOs’ reservations: Talking to Daily Times, the minister confirmed that she had relaxed the ban after receiving complaints from NGO forums across the province. “I relaxed the ban for the betterment of the NGO. There is no proper office structure of the NGO operating at the districts level,” she said, adding that if they did not agree to this, she had no right to impose her orders on them.

Ayaz further said that she had taken the measure following complaints by NGO and now removed the measure at their insistence. Responding questioning, she said that currently, about 3,000 NGO were registered with the Social Welfare Department in the province.
Source: Daily Times
Date:4/18/2008