ISLAMABAD, March 7: The government has asked the International Republican Institute (IRI) to wind up its Pakistan operations and declined its request to establish a country office.

The IRI, which conducts surveys on political issues globally, made headlines in Pakistan in Oct 2008 after it released a public opinion survey saying President Zardari’s approval rating had come down to a mere 19 per cent while 63 per cent of the respondents disapproved of his performance as president.

The copy of the correspondence between the IRI and Pakistan government — available with Dawn — revealed that the IRI approached the government through the ministry of economic affairs for permission to establish its Pakistan office.

The documents show IRI has been pursuing the ministry since 2007 for permission to establish its Pakistan chapter. However, the ministry, through letter No 4(38) NGO/2002 dated Jan 29 informed the IRI’s country director, Robert Varsalone, that its registration application had been rejected “owing to administrative reasons”.

In the same letter, the ministry told the IRI that it was allowed to operate in Pakistan only to monitor last year’s general election. The ministry goes on to tell the IRI to halt its operations and activities in Pakistan under intimation to the Economic Affairs Division.

Sources told Dawn that Country Director Robert Varsalone had left for Iraq following former PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, leaving behind junior staff in its Islamabad office.

Some PPP sources said the slain party chairperson was closely involved with IRI and persuaded it to carry out a poll on Pervez Musharraf.

These sources said the IRI had annoyed the former president through its opinion polls.

Pervez Musharraf tried to send the IRI team packing from Pakistan, prompting Ms Bhutto to take up the matter with foreign envoys.

Dawn emailed the IRI country director residing in Iraq to learn the status of their Pakistan operations. In his reply, Mr Varsalone said that he was on leave and would reply after returning to Iraq.

Meanwhile, information minister Sherry Rehman told Dawn that the economic affairs ministry’s letter was probably an old communication between the EAD and IRI, adding that the letter would be withdrawn by the ministry soon.

She said the interior ministry was processing the visas of the IRI staff. The minister said the PPP government believed in freedom of expression and there was no bar on any institute of any sort to carry out surveys or polls in Pakistan.

The IRI says on its website it has been conducting opinion polls and engaging political parties in Pakistan from the government and the opposition since 2005.
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