KARACHI, March 7: Speakers at a seminar termed the ban on NGOs and trusts illegal and demanded immediate lifting of restrictions imposed on them by the government.

The seminar on ‘Welfare institutions and our responsibilities’ was organised by the Karachi Bar Association on Wednesday at Shuhdai Punjab Hall. Sindh Bar Council Vice Chairman M. Amin Lakhani was in the chair.

Former chief justice of Supreme Court Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, who was chief guest, said the government had admitted to have no proof against Al-Rasheed Trust but followed a resolution of a committee of the UN Security Council. Referring to various sections of the Constitution, he said an accused could not be sentenced without proofs and unheard.

He said if there were no proofs of its involvement in terrorism or any other violations of law why the trust was banned. “The trust was providing free services to the humanity, which was no crime,” he remarked.

“Pakistan being a sovereign country has its own courts and laws, but the action being taken against citizens without any reason is astonishing,” said the former chief justice. He said the government was not bound in such cases to follow the resolutions of Security Council and it should give priority to the decisions of its local courts. He asked the government to reconsider its decision and permit the trust to continue its activities in the best interests of the country and its citizens.

Mohammad Amin Lakhani supported the views of former chief justice and termed the ban illegal and unlawful. On behalf of lawyers, he assured the trust’s people of legal support.

KBA office-bearers and lawyers also offered legal support to the trust.

As a representative of the trust, Dr Syed Mohammad Zubair highlighted the background of the organisation, network, mode of collection donation, use of funds, relief activities in the quake-hit areas and water supply schemes in interior parts of Balochistan and Sindh.

As a result of the ban on activities of the trust, he said not only the work on its ongoing schemes came to a halt, but over 0.5 million poor were deprived of the trust’s regular financial support.

On the occasions, a resolution was unanimously passed which stated that the ban on activities of Al-Rasheed Trust was totally illegal, illogical, without any reason as the trust was rendering great services for the uplift of humanity.—A Reporter