Senate proceedings: government ready for legislation to regulate NGOs' working: Babar

The government is ready for legislation to regulate the work of local and foreign Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and make them accountable through monitoring and work evaluation as what it thinks major chunk of their aid money goes waste, Federal Minster for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Babar Awan said.
Senators on Thursday strongly criticised the NGOs and said that these organisations take donations in billions of rupees in the name of welfare and helping the people of Pakistan but this money is only shown on papers and in photo sessions. They said the government also releases many funds to these NGOs but the major chunk is embezzled by people who run these organisations. The members of the Upper House of the Parliament said no local and foreign NGOs were seen helping the flood affected people.
Senator Abdul Khaliq Pirzada said while severely criticising the NGOs that every female or male who has no job has got his own NGO. He said NGOs do nothing but collect funds in the name of helping the needy from local and foreign donors. He said the performance of the NGOs should be discussed in the House. There should be a nation-wide probe as to what extent they contribute to the nation building, he said.
Senator Javed Ashraf Qazi said there are three types of NGOs - one, local who could not launch big projects, second, Pakistani organisations that collect fund across the country and third are those who get billions of rupees from foreign donors.
He said that such NGOs do harm the national cause as they get funds directly from foreign donors. In this regard the donors also insist on funding such NGOs and not ready to channelize funds through the government. He said funding under the Kerry Lugar package is one such example as the US administration insisted on executing projects through USAID.
While responding to the members, Federal Minster for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Babar Awan said if the members of the House want to make the system transparent, the government was ready for legislation to make NGOs accountable.
He said the government would prepare a draft proposal to fill in the black holes regarding the working of NGOs. However, the minister said these NGOs do comment on each and every matter of the country and they should also play their role in assisting the needy and deprived flood victims.
"Following the sense of the House, I would check with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to learn how much these NGOs had contributed to the flood victims," he added. While answering to supplementary question of the members, Minister for Social Welfare Samina Khalid Ghurki said there was difference in the functioning of local and foreign NGOs. She said local NGOs are being funded by the government on the basis of their performance and monitoring reports.
She said the Parliament could amend the relevant laws if needed. She said that there are 1102 local NGOs which are being provided funds as they have access to perform in far-flung areas where the government has no infrastructure. Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Mohammad Khan Jamali directed the law minister to submit a comprehensive report over the role of NGOs in next session.