Quetta and its surrounding areas these days are experiencing an enthusiastic inflow of donor funds with a pretty low accountability threshold. No wonder there is a mushroom growth of NGOs of all shades and hues in the province

ANYONE out to make a quick buck should form an NGO. But that is nothing new. The fresh piece of advice is: form an NGO in Balochistan, preferably in some area close to the Chaman border, stretching up to Pishin, Muslim Bagh, Qilla Saifullah, Qilla Abdullah and Wana. Donor money is flowing in at a pretty enthusiastic pace, and, even better, the accountability factor is unimaginably low.

Since the government is unable to manage the huge Afghan refugee population crossing into Pakistan, a multitude of donor and UN agencies seem to have taken over, foremost among them being UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP and other donor agencies.

Working with them are NGOs and CBOs operating from the provincial capital of Quetta and other towns. These have become one of the most visible entities in the institutional respect. They visibility is second only to the men in khaki who have a forceful presence in every nook and corner of the terrain.

NGOs in Balochistan became prominent during the 1980s when concern about the underdevelopment in the province was cited by various international agencies. Initially, quite a few enlightened citizens stepped forward to contribute their bit, but as donor-dollars continued to pour, the number of NGOs increased, which is only natural and understandable.

The recent renewal of support to the NGOs in Balochistan by the donors is based on a self-derived logic. Most of the Western institutions perceive that the areas earmarked as ‘dens of terrorism’ are extremely poor. It is also believed that government efforts to improve the overall conditions are extremely limited, ill-timed and infested with corruption.

Besides, these peripheral areas also happen to be a stronghold of zealots who are constantly accused of flaring up popular resentment against the West — hence the terrorism. The present regime is claiming to have curbed the so-called terrorist activities and groups in such areas, and, on the part of the Western donors, it makes sense to dole out large sums of grants/donations to help uplift the living conditions of the local people in the hope that reasonable living conditions will curb the menace of terrorism.

The flow of money is steady and from a great variety of sources without almost any worthwhile accountability. The result is what should never have been in doubt, with the existing NGOs churning out one feasibility after another. What they have achieved in terms of projects remains debatable, but what is beyond debate is their shinning, twin-cab four-wheelers, latest computer gadgetry, immaculate office premises and furnishings, and an overall lavish lifestyle.

No wonder, then, that a lot of people got motivated before long and have since set up a string of NGOs in an effort not to miss out on such a grand opportunity. The whole scenario is infested with intellectual, white-collar corruption to which the government seems to be no more than a bystander.

The formation and working of NGOs in these areas of Balochistan is highly unconventional. There are hardly any issue-based, sector-specific NGO here. They are general-purpose entities, undertaking all kinds of assignments that guarantee a lucrative funding contract. It is, therefore, common that an NGO dealing with Family Planning issues suddenly starts extending low-cost infrastructure, or a primary education centre launches a micro credit programme, or an agriculture working group converts itself into some conservation consultancy. It all depends on the announcements made by one donor or the other. Simply, you see!

Relief and rehabilitation happen to be the most recent fads in the donor sector, and the NGOs, new and old, are making due adjustments.

A tidal wave of refugees had crossed the border to find safe haven during the US-led war on terror in 2001-02. It is claimed by the UNHCR that a sizable number of these refugees has returned home. However, pockets of urban and peri-urban settlements in north-western Balochistan are still inhabited by refugees that closely mingle with the natives. NGOs of different brands and shades are actively claiming doles in the name of serving these refugees one way or the other.

Besides, during the recent draughts, the government and aid agencies made a great deal of use of such NGOs involving them in the distribution of food items, medicine etc.

NGO is an enterprise that evolves with very little initial investment, especially in the current context of Balochistan. All that is needed is the ‘right’ kind of information. Types of donors operating in the region, their identified priorities, locations selected for formulating projects, institutional composition desired by the donors — normally keeping a few female staff members to satisfy the gender requirements — registration as an NGO under Social Welfare, Societies or Trust acts, a chief executive who can speak good English and is presentable (being a female would do no harm at all), knowledge of the NGO-sector jargon, capacity to give ‘effective’ presentations on a multimedia device (no matter if the contents are entirely borrowed or plagiarized), a few staff members with military background or spouses of serving officers. And voila! If you have all this at your disposal, you indeed have a lethal combination to start and run an NGO.

Since these are times of Good Governance and Accountability, it is often desirable to constitute an advisory board as well, comprising high-profile souls depending on the stretch of social contacts of the operator running the show. Ex-bureaucrats, retired servicemen, former members of the superior judiciary and even police make the right choices. These noble folks are chosen to provide guidance and direction to the working of the NGO concerned. But this is only the public face of it.

In effect, these heavy-weights are kept on the board to safeguard against any state-sponsored crackdown, or to use them to fetch more funding for the NGO. In reward for their ‘unparalleled’ service to humanity in general and the province in particular, these folks are often sent to attend foreign meetings, seminars and symposia — of course at donor’s expense.

Coming to the donor profile found operating in Balochistan these days, they include international finance institutions; UN and its various outfits; bilateral agencies of a number of developed countries; some foreign missions that have a budget slot for development; international NGOs that bring with them large-scale funding/budget heads; religious and missionary organizations; internationally created endowment funds; disaster and relief organizations; and sectoral trusts.

The style of working, nature of operations and approach to development or social work of each category is different and depends upon their ideology and working norms. Some donors are strict about their operations and very closely monitor the manner in which the funds are utilized. They adopt strict monitoring procedures to see whether the money is properly used according to the project protocol.

A few donors get carried away by the mock profile and appearance of some NGOs. If they find that the essential phases of the task are intact, then they do not bother to investigate the field performance.

Still others bring with them some hidden agenda. By enacting a facade of development or humanitarian work and associating partner NGOs into their folds, such donors soon unleash their actual motives. Intelligence gathering, attempting to mould the public opinion around a particular issue, attempting to buy the intellectual honesty of important professionals, professing alien social norms and even preaching other religions are few such activities.

Donors representing their national governments are only concerned with showing the record of disbursement of funds. They call an expression of interest from the NGOs around the theme stipulated by their governments, and then allocate funds without assessing the past performance of the NGOs concerned. The case of under-developed regions in Balochistan makes a very strong point as lenient funding guidelines are fixed for such areas.

Some donors are even found to be funding in very difficult domains, such as women emancipation and liberalization campaigns, human trafficking, crop swapping from poppy to alternatives, and even reformation of orthodox seminaries.

The local society places the working and existence of NGOs in varied perspectives. Clerics consider NGOs as profane outfits designed by the West to undermine their influence on the masses. They also consider NGOs as the major barrier in the ‘purification’ of society.

Liberals, who are few in Balochistan, term NGOs the ‘emancipating catalysts’. They also support them since they provide an alternative form of commercial enterprise to venture around.

Youth, especially educated, urban and female, is fond of the NGOs. According to them, NGOs have opened up an avenue of gainful employment, social interaction and even self realization for the restrained masses of the province.

Common folks in the settlements normally view NGOs as benevolent providers. Having lived through ages where they were never attended by state institutions, these folks remain grateful to the NGOs. However, they do despise NGOs that aim to bring about cultural changes in their daily routines and norms.

Area politicians, especially those belonging to the local government, view the NGOs as the agents of donor institutions, and try to access funds and resources through them that can help enhance their political image.

Bureaucrats, being smart and well-informed, naturally align themselves with NGO operations. As they get informed ahead of the others about forthcoming development funds — national and international — they often create dummy NGOs run by families and friends to have priority access to the allocated funds.

Regardless of what some of the NGOs are indulging in, the fact remains that areas bordering Afghanistan are one of the most under-developed zones in the country. They are in desperate need of interventions that can address the basic issues affecting their lives. Considering the situation, the attention given by various donor agencies should be viewed as a positive sign. The channelization of funds through NGOs also does not post a barrier, provided it is done on merit and with a reasonable level of accountability.

If the donors are really interested in arresting the infiltration of ‘terrorists’ and in eradicating poverty so that ‘terrorism’ may be handled on a long-term basis, they must base their funding strategies on the priorities filtered through well researched baseline studies. Such studies shall only establish the actual needs of the people and the localities.

It is obvious that the NGOs today represent a form of service delivery enterprise and can play a positive role, if they adopt rational approaches. Developing technical, financial and managerial capacities to handle projects and programmes; creating proper governance structure that ensures transparency and efficiency; adopting sector-specific strengths to create focused and targeted interventions; ensuring a combination of volunteerism and ‘not-for-profit’ approach in service delivery; respecting social norms and cultural characteristics of the project localities, and, above all, adopting a missionary zeal towards development are a few ingredients in this type of work.

While the government should support the overall effort, it should also fulfil its basic obligation of registering the flow of donor funds. The performance of the NGOs must also be monitored, making the process transparent and pro-active.

Q. Do they come back in case of any tension in their native settlement?

A. Yes. Whenever there are foreign military strikes or similar campaigns, they do come back to Balochistan in search of shelter.
 

Q. It is contended that these Afghans used to feel secure after entering Pakistan. Now they feel threatened and harassed due to the attitude of our law enforcement agencies. Is it true?

A. I cannot give a clear answer as it does not relate to my portfolio. However, I can say only this much that people who are suspected by the law enforcement agencies are closely watched and interrogated. The majority of refugees are not harassed. They move around freely in the province and even set up businesses.
 

Q. What is your view about the role of NGOs in the wake of recent inflow of donor funds?

A. Most of the NGOs are funded by European and American agencies. They claim to function in the domains of education, employment generation, healthcare and other social sectors. A closer view, however, reveals their actual designs. Many foreign NGOs are preaching their religion under the cover of social work. They have even infiltrated far-flung areas such as Makran. Soon, they shall be inaugurating a few churches in that area.

One of their prime interests is to promote birth-control education and donating family planning supplies. The European women somehow obtain access to the local women and openly discuss these matters with unmarried girls and even adolescent kids. We consider this as entirely contrary to our culture and religion.

It is also noticed that they normally function in such areas where the number of seminaries is less. They are even purchasing properties in strategic locations such as coastline settlements. If their activities are not checked, they will succeed in creating an independent enclave in this province as they did in Indonesia. Western NGOs and their local agents are found to be very active in Balochistan these days. A sizable number of these outfits are reportedly spending money in an extravagant manner. We are not clear as from where such high resources are flowing in.

If the West is so sympathetic to us, then it should provide funding to the local population through federal or provincial governments.
 

Q. Does the government monitor the NGOs?

A. The provincial government does not closely monitor their activities despite the fact that they are involved in profane mudslinging on the local clergy. In one rural area, it was reported that the NGOs were lashing out at the local seminary instructors. Their poisonous campaign is usually directed against religion. There are NGOs found involved in promoting anti-Islamic values and strategies to confront the local clergy. We have authentic proofs of these attempts and can produce it when required. In principle, we condemn such nefarious designs.

I must point out that the seminaries in Balochistan are also doing a great deal of welfare work. They undertake this task while spreading basic religious awareness. And this entire work is done through local philanthropic support without any foreign obligation. However, since we do not believe in advertising and publicity, therefore the outside world may not be fully aware of such acts. After all, it is a divine saying that donations must be extended in such a manner that the left hand shall not know what the right hand is giving.