KARACHI: Pakistan’s decision to tell 18 International NGOs, including ActionAid and Plan International, to shut their operations in the country has aroused mixed reactions.
Some criticized the decision as narrowing the space for freedom whereas others argue that Pakistan is a state in the geopolitical war that requires more details and credible information on real activities of these INGOs, which they have failed to provide.
Although Pakistan’s interior ministry hasn’t issued any official statement and the Minister of State for Interior, Shehryar Khan Afridi, didn’t respond to queries, both ActionAid and the Plan International confirmed they have been asked to stop operations.
“On Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, ActionAid Pakistan received a letter from the Pakistan Ministry of Interior informing the organization that its application for registration in Pakistan has been refused. It has been given 60 days to wind up its operations and activities in Pakistan,” said Sophia Har, communications manager of ActionAid. “The letter gives no reason for this decision.”
“ActionAid is working with partners in Pakistan to make sure programs and rights holders are still being supported while we seek legal advice on the notice to close down operations. We will ensure a smooth and phased close down of our work at the community level if we do have to close down,” Har added.
“Pakistan’s decision to shut down ActionAid and other International NGOs is a worrying escalation of recent attacks on civil society, academics and journalists,” Adriano Campolina, secretary general of ActionAid International, wrote in a handout issued on Thursday.
Plan International Pakistan, USA, which is at no.33 in the list of INGOs whose application is “under process,” also confirmed it has been asked to leave the country.
It is not the first time that ActionAid and Plan International, have been asked to shut operations. In December 2017, these two along with Marie Stopes and more than 20 other INGOs were asked to leave the country within 60 days.
“In 2017 ActionAid was told it needed to re-register for permission to work in Pakistan. In December 2017, its application and that of 27 other International NGOs were rejected without explanation. ActionAid appealed against this decision and put forward its case in March this year,” Har told.
FROM ECONOMIC DIVISION TO INTERIOR MINISTRY
In the wake of fake vaccination program used to track down Osama Bin Laden, the government of Nawaz Sharif had taken the registration of INGOs away from the Economic Affairs Division and transferred it to the Ministry of Interior.
“The Government of Pakistan accords importance to the role and contribution of INGOs in support of its socio-economic policies and programs,” reads the website of Pakistan’s interior ministry. “In 2015, the Government of Pakistan put together a policy framework to streamline and facilitate the work of INGOs in the country. As part of this framework, all INGOs present in Pakistan or desirous of operating in Pakistan are required to register themselves with the Ministry of Interior by signing an MoU.”
The ministry requires INGOs to register with the Ministry of Interior within 10 days or they will be stopped from operating in Pakistan. All INGOs are also required to have their annual financial audits done from any one of the approved audit firms listed on the official website of the State Bank of Pakistan.
The Ministry’s website shows it has received applications from 141 INGOs, of which applications of 72 are being processed. These include ActionAid at no.2 and Plan International at no.33 on the list. The list of approved INGOs is 66 and 63 have signed MOUs with interior ministry.
According to a recent report by The Express Tribune, quoting an unnamed top official of the Ministry of Interior, the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, despite diplomatic pressure from the European countries, is unlikely to relax the registration process for iNGOs.
MIXED REACTION
Kaiser Bengali, a Karachi based economist and development expert, said these organizations working in Pakistan for the last three decades had never been controversial. “Since they don’t only work to build schools or are involved in other community services, their advocacy is seen suspiciously. The space for freedom of speech and freedom for civil society in Pakistan is narrowing with each passing day.”
Karamat Ali, executive director of the advocacy organization Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (Piler), agreed with Bengali. “Since the closure of INGOs in the past has already given the country a bad name, such decisions should be made with clarity and legal justification,” Ali said. “If they have violated a law or don’t fulfil requirements it should be clearly stated.”
Bengali said in cases where there was hardly any legal justification no clear reasons were being offered. “These INGOs are being viewed negatively for their advocacy work, a reason which alone doesn’t provide justification.” Ali said that besides damaging Pakistan's image the step would also create feelings of uncertainty among the donors who funded these and other INGOs for their work inside Pakistan.
However, Khalid Muhammad, director general of CommandEleven, a national security-focused think tank in Islamabad, defended the decision: “While we believe that some INGOs do operate in the best interests of Pakistan and its citizens, we can’t apply that to all the iNGOs operating across the country.
“Many are offering ‘campaigns’ in areas that are considered security-sensitive, putting LEAs & security services under pressure to protect them from domestic groups that don’t share their opinions,” Muhammad said. “Additionally, some of these groups are being used by foreign intelligence to gather demographics and information about areas that foreigners can’t easily enter or interact in.”
“Realistically, Pakistan is at a state in the geopolitical war so that we require more details and more credible information on the real activities of these INGOs that maintain massive budgets and ‘operations’ throughout Pakistan. There are times when Pakistan should consider a FARA type legislation to be able to accomplish this mammoth task without hearing the false cries of restrictions on social welfare activities,” he concluded.
Mixed reaction as Pakistan asks 18 iNGOs to pack up
Mixed reaction as Pakistan asks 18 iNGOs to pack up
- On Wednesday, October 3, 2018, ActionAid Pakistan received a letter from the Pakistan Ministry of Interior informing the organization that its application for registration in Pakistan has been refused
- “Many of INGOs are offering ‘campaigns’ in areas that are considered security sensitive,” says Khalid Muhammad, head of an Islamabad-based think tank
UK to end Afghan refugee schemes
- Move is part of plan to clear backlog of asylum seekers in temporary accommodation
- No timeline yet in place but defense secretary says schemes cannot be ‘endless’
LONDON: The UK is to close its resettlement schemes for people fleeing Afghanistan, The Times reported.
Defense Secretary John Healey said the UK’s two programs for Afghans could not be “an endless process” as he laid out plans to move refugees out of temporary accommodation. He added that over 1,000 Afghan families have arrived in the UK in the past 12 months.
Though no time frame has been announced, the government aims to limit the amount of time Afghans can stay in hotels and other temporary housing to nine months.
The two refugee programs — the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy — were introduced in 2021 after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban following the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces.
Thousands of people were evacuated to the UK during an airlift mission known as Operation Pitting.
UK authorities have struggled to find suitable permanent housing solutions for many Afghan refugees due to the large size of typical Afghan families — more than double that of the average British family.
A total of 30,412 Afghans were eventually taken to the UK under the two schemes. Under ARAP, 2,729 Afghans were placed in temporary Ministry of Defense accommodation and a further 288 in Home Office housing, amid a broader backlog of over 100,000 asylum seekers requiring assistance in the UK — 35,651 of whom were put up in hotels.
Safe Passage International told The Times it is “concerned” by suggestions that the two resettlement schemes are set to close, adding that they have been a “lifeline to safety” for vulnerable Afghans.
The charity said “new safe routes” would need to be opened for Afghan refugees when the two schemes are shuttered.
Its CEO Wanda Wyporska said: “We’re concerned that the government is thinking about closing the safe pathways for Afghans, given there are no other working safe routes that can bring those fleeing the Taliban to safety here.
“We urgently need more detail on this so Afghans are not left in danger. We know there are many Afghans living in terror and under the threat of increasingly repressive Taliban rules, such as those oppressing women and girls.
“Afghans are already the top nationality crossing the Channel, so we fear without this safe route we will only see more people turning to smugglers to reach protection here.”
Modi to visit Kuwait for the first trip by Indian PM in four decades
- Indian nationals make up the largest expatriate community in Kuwait
- Modi’s visit will likely focus on strengthening economic ties, experts say
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kuwait on Saturday, marking the first trip of an Indian premier to the Gulf state in more than four decades.
With more than 1 million Indian nationals living and working in Kuwait, they are the largest expatriate community in the country, making up around 21 percent of its 4.3 million population and 30 percent of its workforce.
Modi will be visiting Kuwait for two days at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
“This will be the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“During the visit, the Prime Minister will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait. Prime Minister will also interact with the Indian community in Kuwait.”
India is among Kuwait’s top trade partners, with bilateral trade valued at around $10.4 billion in 2023-24.
Experts expect the visit to focus on strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
“Kuwait has a strong Indian expatriate community who have contributed to the economic development of the country,” Muddassir Quamar, associate professor at the Center for West Asian Studies in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Arab News.
“In my view, the focus would be on the economy. Politically, it underlines that Kuwait is an important regional country and remains an important partner of India.”
Quamar said that trade and economic ties will likely get a boost from the visit, as well as cooperation in energy, infrastructure, financial technology, education and culture.
Modi’s visit reflects how India’s engagement with Arab states has increasingly focused on the economy, said Kabir Taneja, a deputy director with the Strategic Studies program at the Observer Research Foundation.
“India’s engagement with Arab states is increasingly rooted in a ‘new’ Middle East, that is, it is economy-led,” he told Arab News.
“This visit is a good opportunity for India to expand beyond its good relations with UAE and Saudi Arabia and explore opportunities with the smaller Arab states which includes Kuwait.”
Modi to visit Kuwait for first trip by Indian PM in four decades
- Indian nationals make up the largest expatriate community in Kuwait
- Modi’s visit will likely focus on strengthening economic ties, say experts
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Kuwait on Saturday, marking the first trip to the Gulf state by an Indian premier in more than four decades.
With more than 1 million Indian nationals living and working in Kuwait they are the largest expatriate community in the country, making up around 21 percent of its 4.3 million population and 30 percent of its workforce.
Modi’s two-day visit is at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
“This will be the first visit of an Indian prime minister to Kuwait in 43 years,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“During the visit, the prime minister will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait. (The) prime minister will also interact with the Indian community in Kuwait.”
India is among Kuwait’s top trade partners, with bilateral trade valued at around $10.4 billion in 2023-24.
Experts expect the visit to focus on strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
“Kuwait has a strong Indian expatriate community who have contributed to the economic development of the country,” Muddassir Quamar, associate professor at the Center for West Asian Studies in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, told Arab News.
“In my view, the focus would be on the economy. Politically, it underlines that Kuwait is an important regional country and remains an important partner of India.”
Quamar said that trade and economic ties will likely get a boost from the visit, as well as cooperation in energy, infrastructure, financial technology, education and culture.
Modi’s visit reflects how India’s engagement with Arab states has increasingly focused on the economy, said Kabir Taneja, a deputy director with the Strategic Studies program at the Observer Research Foundation.
“India’s engagement with Arab states is increasingly rooted in a ‘new’ Middle East, that is, it is economy-led,” he told Arab News.
“This visit is a good opportunity for India to expand beyond its good relations with UAE and Saudi Arabia and explore opportunities with the smaller Arab states, which includes Kuwait.”
Putin says fall of Assad not a ‘defeat’ for Russia
- Bashar Assad fled to Moscow earlier this month after a shock militant advance ended half a century of rule by the Assad family
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the fall of ex-Syrian leader Bashar Assad was not a “defeat” for Russia, claiming Moscow had achieved its goals in the country.
Assad fled to Moscow earlier this month after a shock militant advance ended half a century of rule by the Assad family, marked by repression and allegations of vast human rights abuses and civil war.
His departure came more than 13 years after his crackdown on democracy protests precipitated a civil war.
Russia was Assad’s key backer and had swept to his aid in 2015, turning the tide of the conflict.
“You want to present what is happening in Syria as a defeat for Russia,” Putin said at his annual end-of-year press conference.
“I assure you it is not,” he said, responding to a question from an American journalist.
“We came to Syria 10 years ago so that a terrorist enclave would not be created there like in Afghanistan. On the whole, we have achieved our goal,” Putin said.
The Kremlin leader said he had yet to meet with Assad in Moscow, but planned to do so soon.
“I haven’t yet seen president Assad since his arrival in Moscow but I plan to, I will definitely speak with him,” he said.
Putin was addressing the situation in Syria publicly for the first time since Assad’s fall.
Moscow is keen to secure the fate of two military bases in the country.
The Tartus naval base and Hmeimim air base are Russia’s only military outposts outside the former Soviet Union and have been key to the Kremlin’s activities in Africa and the Middle East.
Putin said there was support for Russia keeping hold of the bases.
“We maintain contacts with all those who control the situation there, with all the countries of the region. An overwhelming majority of them say they are interested in our military bases staying there,” Putin said.
He also said Russia had evacuated 4,000 Iranian soldiers from the country at the request from Tehran.
Saudi tourist swims for 5 hours to help his wife stranded in Pattaya waters
- Saudi tourists stranded in the dark for hours before rescuers reached them
- About 188,000 Saudi tourists visited Thailand between January and October this year
BANGKOK: A Saudi tourist swam for more than five hours to reach shore and find help for his wife after their jet ski capsized in Pattaya Bay, Thailand, local authorities said on Thursday.
On Saturday, Abdulrahman Mahdi M. Al-Amri and his wife, Atheer Saeed A. Al-Amri, were reported missing at 6:30 p.m., prompting an immediate search and rescue operation by Pattaya City authorities.
“We received a call at 6:30 p.m. from a jet ski operator that one of their jet skis and the clients were missing. So, we set out on a search operation,” Pattaya City Sea Rescue’s Nattanon Chamnankul, who led the search and rescue mission, told Arab News.
The rescue team had been searching for more than five hours and was navigating the dark seas, strong winds and drizzle to no avail. But as their boat returned to Pattaya’s Jomtien beach, authorities found Abdulrahman swimming toward the shore.
“The husband had swum for five hours to reach the shore and was worried about his wife. He used the lights on the beach as a guide,” Chamnankul said, adding that the 26-year-old man was in a state of extreme fatigue when he was rescued.
The rescue boat then took him on board and continued the search for his wife.
“We found his wife at 2 a.m., six hours after the search began,” Chamnankul said. “At first the sea was dark, but we heard a small voice in the sea and it was her.”
Their jet ski had capsized in the middle of the ocean and its engine was damaged by seawater, according to Nipon, an officer at the Pattaya Tourist Police.
After the jet ski ran out of fuel, Abdulrahman decided to swim to shore to get help.
Although Atheer had a minor injury to her left leg, Nipon said the couple had no serious medical issues and had since returned to their home country after settling a damage cost with the jet ski operator for 50,000 Thai baht ($1,400).
Thailand has become an increasingly popular destination for Saudi travelers since the normalization of ties between the Southeast Asian country and Saudi Arabia in 2022.
The Gulf state is considered a high-potential market by Thai tourism experts, with about 178,000 Saudi tourists visiting in 2023, and another 188,000 between January and October this year, the highest number among visitors from that region.
The latest data shows that the number of Saudi tourists has almost doubled compared with 2022, when the number was about 96,000.
