Funding restrictions cripple Church agencies in Pakistan

Government has revoked licences of thousands of non-governmental agencies, including Christian groups, stopping their foreign funding

Christian groups in Pakistan are trying to stop the government closing their bank accounts as part of a process it says is intended to throttle foreign funding to terrorist organizations.

The government has revoked the licenses of thousands of non-governmental agencies and thus prevented them receiving foreign funding, including from Christian agencies.

“The future of our workers is at stake. We are still being accused of working on a Western agenda and labeled as anti-national groups,” said Cecil Chaudhry, who heads the Catholic Church’s National Commission for Justice and Peace.

He was speaking at a Dec. 16 meeting of right activists and civil right groups at the Lahore Press Club organized by the Joint Action Committee for People’s Rights (JAC), a form of rights groups and journalist unions.

Speakers expressed concern over the military’s increasing involvement in governance, attacks on liberal news agencies and closure of non-governmental agencies.

Chaudhary told the meeting that commercial bank accounts his offices in three of the country’s seven dioceses had been closed.

The Church’s human rights organization employs 40 Christian activists and they were now struggling to pay staff salaries, he added.

The clampdown on non-governmental agencies began after Pakistan was placed on the “gray list” in June 2018 by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body that combats money laundering, funding of terrorism and threats to the international financial system.

The global watchdog wanted Islamabad to take action against home-grown militant Islamist groups and cut off their funding. The country has been given until February 2020 to implement the FATF’s 27-point action plan.

Christian leaders said voluntary agencies working for the welfare of the poor, fighting injustice, human rights and gender equality were seen as implementing “a western agenda” against the national interests.

“The organizations are asked to provide details of female staff or those belonging to the Shia sect. The word NGO is now regarded as an abusive term,” he said, noting that several non-governmental agencies led by women had been closed down.

“Officials from intelligence agencies frequently visit our office to monitor our work. We need the support of civil society to raise our voices against blasphemy laws and the forced conversion of minority girls.”

‘Church work crippled’

In February, the government rejected registration applications from 42 non-governmental agencies following objections from the intelligence agencies. Then, in October, the provincial government in Sindh canceled the registration of 4,693 non-governmental agencies, for allegedly violation of the rules or being inactive.

The registration of US-based Catholic Relief Services (CRS), a member of Caritas International, was revoked last year. The agency said it was in the process of re-applying.

The CRS has operated in Pakistan since 1954, mainly focusing on disaster response and preparedness, education, water sanitation, and livelihood assistance for vulnerable communities.

The CRS, the official charity arm of United States Catholics, had supported more than 1 million people across Pakistan in relief, response and recovery.

The CRS is currently “in the process of re-applying for its registration and is hopeful that it will be able to re-establish its operations and programs in Pakistan in the near future so that it may continue to serve the most vulnerable,” it said on its website.

Rights activist I. A. Rehman said space “is shrinking for human rights organizations” in Pakistan.

“What makes matters worse is that public discourse doesn’t support us. Diversity is denied in our state. People have decided not to listen to the voices on the margins,” he said.

Christina Peter, who heads the Association for Women’s Awareness and Rural Development, told ucanews that her organization had been facing hurdles since 2017.

The organization, which is based in Faisalabad diocese and headed by the women, has been awaiting for a license to receive foreign funding for the past two years.

“We have repeatedly replied to their queries but meetings are still being held with government officials,” Peter said, adding that the new policy would increase unemployment in the country.

“A funding crisis is looming in the new year as a no-objection certificate is required to work in the grassroots. We have already cut the staff,” she said.

Economists say 18 million more people may slip into abject poverty due to low economic growth and double-digit food inflation in the 18 months since Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led by former cricketer Imran Khan came to power.

At least 31.3 percent of Pakistan’s 195 million people were said to be living in poverty in June 2018, according to media reports.