The Punjab Home Department has decided to ban all welfare bodies operating without registration in the province. The announcement came during the 23rd session of the Punjab Charity Commission, chaired by Commissioners Syed Ali Murtaza, Captain (R) Asadullah, Usama Siddiq, Special Secretary Home Fazal Rehman, and the commission’s CEO Colonel (R) Shehzad Aamir.
In the meeting, officials stressed that registration with the Punjab Charity Commission is compulsory for every charitable organisation in the province. The commission’s regulatory actions were credited with playing a key role in Pakistan’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. The Home Department reiterated that safeguarding genuine NGOs and ensuring close cooperation with them is among its top priorities.
This year, the commission inspected 938 NGOs across Punjab. Out of these, 98 were penalised for regulatory violations, while 29 organisations had their registrations revoked. The meeting also approved new recruitments to strengthen the commission’s capacity and underlined the need for training and capacity-building programs to help registered NGOs improve their role in society. Special focus was also given to encouraging youth participation in welfare initiatives.
A spokesperson for the Home Department urged citizens to donate zakat, charity, and other contributions only to organisations officially registered with the commission. Every registered NGO has a certificate carrying a QR code that can be used to verify its authenticity. Donating to banned or unregistered entities is strictly forbidden. Officials further cautioned that under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, any support to proscribed groups amounts to a criminal offence.
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