The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) strongly denounced remarks of two ministers against NGOs and demanded of the government to censure them within 48 hours, direct them to apologise publicly to NGOs and expunge these remarks from the parliament's record. Around 16 CSOs objected to the statement of advisor to prime minister on women development Nilofer Bakhtiar and minister of state for interior Shahzad Waseem that 'NGOs are working for foreign agenda' and 'for a dinner with John and Johny Walker' during Senate proceedings on Monday.
Nilofer Bakhtiar on Monday said "Pakistani NGOs voicing their support for Mukhtaran Mai are exploiting the case."
They added NGOs are working for advocacy and awareness of the people in the country.
They also condemned statement of minister of state for interior Shahzad Waseem in which he said "the government must put Mai's name on the ECL to stop her from going abroad to narrate her ordeal, which the Amnesty International had arranged".
Aqsa Khan of Action Aid Pakistan, Naeem Mirza (Aurat Foundation), Farzana Bari (Pattan Development Organisation) and Asma Ravji (Sungi Development Foundation) strongly condemned these statements during a joint press conference here on Thursday.
They also criticised the attitude of the Senate presiding officer, who chose not to expunge such untrue, derogatory, slanderous and defamatory remarks.
They said NGOs are in the forefront of struggle for survival of the poor, and working for access to justice for most marginalise, deprived and disadvantaged sections of the Pakistani society.
They said:"we are against US-led imperialism and globalisation, which is widely publicised and known to all". They criticised double standard of the government and said this hypocrisy must cease immediately.
Farzana Bari said all CSOs strongly objected to character assassination, which is all the more ironic coming from representatives of a government, that is donor-driven and dependent on foreign loans and grants.
Responding to a question, she said: "according to statistics of the SDPC, NGOs collect 88 percent finance from local resources, only 5.8 percent comes from foreign donations, while 6.1 percent is in the form of grants".