The Ministry of Interior gave the 27 NGOs 90 days to conclude operations, according to a list seen by Reuters. Three members of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) have also disappeared in the past year, chairperson Mehdi Hasan told Reuters. Human rights campaigners say the crackdown on NGOs and disappearances of civil society activists are part of a wider campaign to quell free speech. “They both signify the shrinking space for free expression and activism in Pakistan and the diminishing tolerance the Pakistan state has,” Saroop Ijaz, a representative for the Pakistan chapter of Human Rights Watch, told Reuters. Yusuf, who formerly served as HRCP chairperson, said Pakistan feels it has impunity in dealing with rights groups and activists.

Source: The Express Tribune December 22, 2017 12:05 UTC