Pakistani authorities must protect civil society groups, CIVICUS urges
28 February 2008 - The government of Pakistan must protect civil society organisations working in the country, urged CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, following recent attacks on both local and international groups.
On Monday afternoon, armed men entered the office of Plan International, a British-based aid group in Mansehra in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), killing four staff members and injuring at least another eight. The office was then burned to the ground, said the group in a statement, also indicating they will halt their operations in Pakistan.
“Civil society staff and volunteers urgently need the protection of the Pakistani authorities. Without adequate effort to guarantee the safety of NGO workers, many of their organisations will be forced to close, ending the provision of vital services to people in need,” said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of CIVICUS.
In the recent past, Save the Children Sweden and the International Committee for the Red Cross/Crescent in Peshwar have also reportedly faced bomb attacks. The Marie Stopes Society has closed three of its reproductive health clinics in Peshawar and another two in the NWFP. Care International reportedly suffered two separate attacks on its compounds in quake-affected Battagram and Allai areas in late July, followed by another attack on its Battagram facility in October.
While attacks on international organisations attract publicity, it is often the smaller local organisations operating in the NWFP that are at even greater risk. Their staff members are regularly harassed, kidnapped and even killed. Many such groups have been forced to close because of the constant insecurity.
“Our female employees and volunteers cannot feel ease since our organisation has received continuous threats and social pressure from various circles in the remote district of the North West Frontier Province,” said a representative of a local women’s organisation. “Today, I spoke with some small women’s organisations in the area where the Plan attack occurred who are so terrified they are considering shutting down their organisations forever.”
At least a dozen women’s educational institutions and seven non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were bombed in 2007, according to local media reports. In September, Kohat Area Development Organisation, an NGO which trains women in computer skills and tailoring, received a phone call warning that its offices would be bombed if it did not shut down its four centres and expel its female employees and trainees.
In addition to educational and aid groups, many human rights organisations have also received threats, and their staff were among the many activists, lawyers and judges who were detained after President Musharraf declared a state of emergency last November.
NGOs provide much needed relief services throughout Pakistan and particularly in the North West Frontier Province which was tragically affected by last year’s earthquake. While reasons remain unclear, according to news reports and NGOs in the area, there is strong evidence to suggest that the attacks can be attributed to pro-Taliban militants who have been highly critical of foreign funded NGOs.
CIVICUS calls on the newly elected political parties to ensure that civil society is protected in Pakistan. In particular, CIVICUS urges the government to ensure that the culprits of these incidents are brought to justice, the families of victims are compensated, and that the safety and security of all citizens, especially the staff of NGOs, is guaranteed.
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For more information, visit www.civicus.org. Alternatively, contact Julie Middleton at cswatch@civicus.org or +27 11 833 5959 x123