Security clearance a must for foreign NGOs

PESHAWAR The Government has made it mandatory for all the international organisations and their representative groups including Western and American NGOs to get security clearance and permission from the authorities concerned for carrying out relief activities in the flood-hit areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. Due to security reasons, all the tribal agencies of FATA and Frontier Regions have been declared restricted areas for all foreign NGOs and international humanitarian organisations including UN. According to official sources, all foreign organisations have to inform the Provincial Government prior to landing in the province and they have to get security clearance for carrying out relief activities. The Provincial Government has established security-monitoring centres to monitor the foreigners, their activities and security. Of 22 flood-affected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Dir, Swat and DI Khan have been declared sensitive areas for foreign relief workers. Earlier, the Provincial Government had appealed to the foreign organisations to help carry out relief activities in 17 calamity-hit districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after which these organisations have offered their humanitarian services.

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