Pakistan: Spare the NGOs, please

Business Recorder

That the work and performance of the Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are presently under the sharp focus of the Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly is no exceptional development. In August last year also the PAC looked into their work and contribution to the national cause, and was quite satisfied over Economic Affairs Division's assurance that a 'new mechanism' would be proposed for a periodic review of foreign-funded projects. The mechanism was expected to ensure that secretaries of respective departments would be responsible for any delay in implementation of projects and improper utilisation of funds. No such mechanism seems to have been put in place, confirming the perception that the NGOs have free hand in utilisation of funds channelled to them by foreign donors. Otherwise, the EAD officials would not have expressed their helplessness by admitting before the committee that they work only as post offices for the transfer of funds and they had 'nothing to do with the implementation of projects'. But the atmospherics that obtained in the PAC meeting suggest that the members were equally interested, if not more, who gets what and from where - an indication of their mistrust in the credibility and integrity of the beneficiary NGOs. But for the hurt felt by some bloated egos there was not much of justification to be judgmental about quality of services delivered by these entities. The bitter truth is that international donors in recent times have opted to channel their funds through non-governmental organisations rather than government of Pakistan. The question whether did the PAC meeting also deliberate upon this aspect of the issue, remained unanswered. From the media reported account of this particular meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, it increasingly appears that the non-military component of US funding sanctioned by the Kerry-Lugar Act was under scrutiny, with a member complaining that it was being used by the USAID and 'surprisingly the government of Pakistan has no control over the projects funded through this money'. Another member was of the view that on paper the USAID was undertaking countless projects for the benefit of the masses, but on ground "we don't see anything in concrete terms". Both the members happen to be part of the ruling coalition, begging the question where they were all these months after EAD officials' commitment of putting in place a "new mechanism". Isn't it in their knowledge that release of funds under the Kerry-Lugar legislation envisaged the delivery of most of the civil aid through the NGOs and the government of Pakistan had agreed to that precondition? The fact is that it is not only the US Congress that would like the aid distributed through non-governmental organisations in Pakistan, the other aid-giving countries too think and plan along the same lines. Not that the government should have no oversight on the utilisation of foreign funds, but it should be more in terms of checking misuse if any, rather than trying to bring it under its umbrella. That some NGOs may be the Trojan horse busy planting and nurturing anti-Pakistan concepts and forces the government agencies should be looking into that. But it has to be conceded that the autonomy the NGOs need and the possibility of some of them being involved in anti-state activities are two different issues. No foreign aid and assistance comes free; the donor governments desire to improve their image among the recipient public in return for popular support at international forums. The donations from the non-state entities too are made along similar lines, but in there they are essentially motivated with a feeling of sharing the burden of the recipients, be it by sending doctors to alleviate sufferings of the calamity-struck victims, to help improve quality of life by providing medical facilities or to help the recipients shed ignorance by way of helping them with better education tools. Perhaps in normal times Pakistan could be choosier about the need for the NGOs and the quality of their work, but not now. Given our poor governance and near total dysfunctional official public-service networks the NGOs are a boon, and there is no justification to put them on the defensive by discouraging their workers who work here under ever-looming threats to their life and limb.