NGO Pattan’s office sealed in Islamabad for ‘illegal’ operations

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad district administration on Friday sealed the office of Pattan, a civil society non-governmental organisation, in Sector F-15 on charges of operating illegally.

The administration said that NGO Pattan was dissolved in 2019, and no court has reversed this dissolution to date. However, the organisation continued its activities even after its dissolution.

In a statement, authorities said that the police and district administration sealed the office in accordance with an order from the industrial development officer.

Under the law, it is illegal for an NGO that has been dissolved to continue its operations.

The Pattan Coalition-38 is a network of civil society organisations (CSOs), labour unions, community-based organisations (CBOs), and intellectuals.

Earlier this month, the organisation issued a detailed report, titled “War on Voters?”, on the February 8 general elections, demanding the establishment of a commission of inquiry to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for alleged electoral rigging.

The same report was shared by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a dossier to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi.

The report urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to fulfill its commitment to investigating the allegations made by Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattah, who publicly accused the ECP chief and a former top judge.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) termed the Pattan report a continuation of “baseless and fabricated propaganda to defame institutions”.