Pakistan orders 18 international aid groups closed

Pakistan ordered 18 international aid organizations to close, threatening the assistance they provide to some of the country's most vulnerable, international aid workers said Friday.

The majority of the shuttered aid groups are U.S.-based, while the remainder are from Britain and the European Union, according to a government list, which was seen by The Associated Press.

Caught in the latest order to close are aid groups such as World Vision U.S., Catholic Relief Services U.S., International Relief and Development U.S., ActionAid U.K., and Danish Refugee Council, Denmark.

There was no official explanation from the new government and there was no response to queries about the closures from the Interior Ministry, which issued the order. The Information Ministry and Foreign Ministry also did not respond to the AP requests for comments.

The organizations have been given 60 days to wrap up their operations, said Imran Yusuf Shami, country director for Plan International, whose organization was told its registration had been denied. Headquartered in Britain, Plan International is a global organization that focuses on education and child rights.

Shami said the closures will hurt hundreds of thousands of Pakistan's neediest people.

We have been asking the government why they want us to close but neither us nor anyone else has been given a reason," Shami said in a telephone interview. Muhammad Amir Rana, director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies, said the crackdown is part of a government-orchestrated effort to stifle critical voices.

Despite these organizations providing a myriad of services including education, health care, child protection, sanitation and water management, Rana said Pakistan, including its powerful intelligence agency, views many international aid groups as champions of "liberal, secular voices."