FAISALABAD, July 2: The federal government is set to take action against non-government organizations allegedly evading in annual audits details of income and huge funds they receive from international donors, it is learnt.

Sources told Dawn on Tuesday that the federal interior ministry had received reports that hundreds of NGOs had been avoiding giving details of source of income and expenditure in annual audits.

The government would also bring to book NGOs’ representatives working for foreign agencies without informing the departments concerned, the sources said.

They claimed the government had directed social welfare department and other agencies concerned to send reports on all the NGOs, including those affiliated with international agencies, on their activities, income and expenditure for the last three years. The data and information about local offices of some foreign NGOs were also being collected by the special committees, the sources added.

The sources said lists of religious scholars, heads of seminaries and leaders of various bodies involved in receiving monthly or special donations from some Islamic countries were being finalized.

Leghari: Millat Party president Farooq Leghari has demanded constitution of an independent election commission comprising judges having unblemished record.

Speaking at a news conference here on Tuesday, Mr Leghari said the commission should also be fully independent so that it could hold free and fair elections.

He said two so-called major political parties, the PML(N) and the PPP, comprised plunderers. They were pressure groups, and not political parties, who were exploiting the poor for achieving their evil designs.

He said all the government institutions had lost masses’ confidence and government employees had become subordinates of powerful mafia.

He said the country was facing multiple crises and it seemed that the present system could not redress the grievances of the masses. The IMF and World Bank were playing havoc with the country and Pakistan was no more a sovereign country as the policies of such foreign agencies were being implemented.

He said it was pity that America and other European countries were providing subsidies for promoting their farming products. But the Pakistan government had been withdrawing subsidies which severely affected our agriculture.

Mr Leghari said Pakistan’s economy was about to collapse as a result of which foreign investors have started leaving the country.

The Former president claimed that when he dissolved the Benazir government, former chief justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah, came to the Presidency and suggested to postpone the holding of elections. He further claimed that he asked Mr Shah that there was no provision in the Constitution for postponement of elections for two years. But Mr Shah said the whole nation was demanding accountability first then elections and suggested to hold a referendum on the issue.

He claimed that he refused to accept the proposal as it was a clear violation of the Constitution.

He warned the government that it should not privatize national units such as banks, PTCL and energy units in haste.

He demanded that the government should not postpone the elections.

ARRESTED: The district police claimed on Tuesday to have arrested 151 proclaimed offenders in June.

The police said special teams, headed by SHOs, raided hideouts and arrested 151 POs. They had been jailed.