Civil Society in Pakistan:

Through Challenges and Opportunities

By Zeenia Shaukat
ivil Society in Pakistan has come a long way since the
independence of the country. Over the years, the sector has undergone a vast change in terms of its role
definition, objectives and scope of operations. As the social
sector found acceptance among general public and the government, its relations with both the actors has sought a redefinition. There are varied arguments about the capacity and
effectiveness of the service delivery of the civil society organizations. However, there is no denying the fact that their role
is seen as significant in the development and progress of the
country.

migrants was the biggest challenge the newly independent

country faced. The civil society played an important role in
the rehabilitation and settlement of the exodus of migrants
who had travelled to Pakistan to settle in the new Muslim
state. The country had inherited a civil society characterised
by ethical, denominational and clan organizations with
strongly embedded religious and socio-cultural values.
Prominent CSOs in the early post-independence period
ranged from welfare and charity organizations, writer's associations, women's organizations, trade unions, Christian missions and student bodies.

Civil society in Pakistan is diverse. It comprises non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), trade unions, academic and research institutes,
cultural groups, and informal citizen organizations. The role
of the civil society has changed considerably over the years.
From refugee settlement to active development endeavours,
the civil society has broadened its scope of operation extensively to work alongside the state in the development sector.

Together, they went on to make immense contribution in the

gigantic task of refugee settlement. A large number of rehabilitation initiatives were also undertaken by women.

Philanthropy and volunteer service is an old phenomenon in

the Subcontinent. Religion has been described as a driving
force behind the phenomenon as all the dominant religions
in the subcontinent, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam,
Christianity and Sikhism strongly advocate the cause of serving to the needy and poor. These values are further reinforced
by common socio-cultural practices such as joint family system and community living.

Once the issue of refugee settlement was considerably

addressed, the country's voluntary organizations got the
space to expand the scope of their activities. It was around
this time (1950s), that the All Pakistan Women's Association
(APWA) took up advocacy work concentrating on the area of
women's rights. The Family Planning Association of Pakistan
was formed around the same time. Both are still active today.
The Pakistani government, though, has shared a sketchy relationship with the civil society over the years. At the same
time, the government sector does seem to have recognised
the significance of the CSOs and has taken their growth in its
stride. The government created a permanent social welfare

Though there was no dearth of independent philanthropic

efforts in the pre-partition Subcontinent, it was the colonial
rulers that attempted to regularise and institutionalise the voluntary activities in the region. The post-war of independence
period saw a rise in the number of voluntary organizations as
a number of individuals and groups stepped up their efforts
to address public needs, as economic constraints and deprivation among the cross section of the society began to take
their toll on the citizens. The notable philanthropic endeavours of the pre-partition era focused not only on the provision of basic social service but also engaged in professional
and technical education. Prominent institutions formed during that time include: Anjuman Himayat-e-Islam, National
Muhammadan Association, and Dayal Singh Trust,
Nadershaw Edulgee Dinshawjee Engineering College and
Ganga Ram Trust among many others. Interestingly, though
faith was one of the prime motivations behind many of these
institutes/organizations, the services offered were not
restricted to serve any certain faith. For instance, even today,
a large section of the population benefits from the schools
and hospitals set up by Christian missions.
Post independence in 1947, the settlement of the millions of
NGORC Journal, December 2007

section with the Planning Board in the 1950s and most of its
five years plans, starting from the first in 1955, did make provision for working alongside the NGOs for the development
of the country.
In the 1960s, post the first martial law (imposed in 1958), the
government-civil society relations took a few twists. While
the government attempted to regularise the voluntary organizations with the Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies
Registration and Control Ordinance (passed in 1961), it also
took the control of Sufi shrines and trusts related to them,
giving them over to the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
It was around this time that trade union movement gained
momentum. Though the trade unions were already active,
following independence, they got their strength from the
industrialisation of the economy set in motion by the government of General Ayub Khan. The movement played a
significant political role in the '70s too, as discontent from
industrialisation - that, according to the trade unions, sought
to benefit a select group - grew. The sector went into a
decline in the 1980s and stands in a bad shape today. A combination of factors is attributed to its dwindling influence.
The collapse of socialist models in Russia and Eastern
Europe and weakening of the local trade unions' structures
because of the discord and compromising inclinations of the
leadership, is cited as biggest reasons behind its fall. However,
till the movement was active, it played an important role in
bringing the workers' agenda on table and contributed in
improving the bargaining power of the working class vis-vis the ruling elite.
The 1970s era is seen to be positive as well as negative for the
civil society as the establishment of a democratic government
in Pakistan sought to boost the sector, encouraging it to play
an important role in the development of the country that was
reeling from the shock of the loss of its right wing, i.e. East
Pakistan (that went on the become Bangladesh after the 1971
war). However, the nationalisation drive of the Bhutto government did upset the sector, as a number of trusts, foundations, and community organizations were indiscriminately
nationalised by the government.
A tumultuous political period in the late 1970s led to the
imposition of an 11-years long martial law rule (1977-88) on
the country, by President General Zia-ul-Haq. However, this
period actually oversaw the rise of some sections of the civil
society. At the same time, it sought to suppress the others. As
the country sided with the United States, actively seeking the
role of a major player in the USSR-Afghanistan war, NGOs
received a boost as foreign funding poured in for the purpose
of development. 'The proliferation of NGOs also extended
to religious Madrassahs in the 1980s when funding to religious educational institutions increased substantially from
both the Pakistan state and foreign sources, mainly from the
Arab states and Iran'. At the same time, Zia's tenure is known
for state brutalities against civil rights activists and political
workers.
The decade of '90s is marked by successive regime change as
the country struggled with the democratic rule after 11 years
of martial law. As the turbulent political situation led to a
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slowdown in the activities of industrial and agricultural sectors, the weakening of state services further encouraged the
rise of self-help and community-based programmes. This
was particularly observed in the Karachi city, as citizens committees were formed to improve the deteriorating law and
order situation in the city and improve the water-supply in the
water deficit areas of the city.
Post-Afghan war, the influx of refugee led many international donor, relief and rehabilitation agencies to set up their
offices in Pakistan. Advocacy organizations focusing mainly
on human rights and women's issues became much stronger
and more visible during this decade. New organizations were
created, existing ones became more active, and many unaddressed social issues were taken up by these NGOs.
Apart from increased foreign funding, the '90s period also
saw the civil society sector receiving substantial financial
assistance from the government, providing the sector with
greater space to carry out its activities. The government
actively sought a positive relation with the CSOs as it created
provision for their assistance through programmes such as
the Social Action Programme, the Poverty Alleviation Fund
and the Trust for Voluntary Organizations. However, the
endeavors of the non-governmental organizations and the
voluntary services sector - backed by foreign donors and
agencies - have faced significant resistance from religious
organizations that accuse the former of implementing a
Western agenda in the country and have openly expressed
resentment against the former's efforts in the area of
women's rights, honour killings, reproductive health and family planning issues.
There are a number of categories of CSOs in Pakistan.
Emphasising the multiplicity of their roles, they can be
described as "innovators; donors; service providers; capacity
building institutions; critical thinkers; policy partners; advocates; social mobilizers and protestors." In more specific
terms, one comes across the following general categories of
CSOs when studying the civil society in Pakistan's context.

NGOs (Non-Governmental Organization):

These are described as private, non-profit citizen organizations working in the capacity of pressure groups and support
centres. In Pakistan, NGOs are mainly considered to be synonymous for the civil society, though "civil society" is a far
broader term.
NGOs in Pakistan are mainly registered under the Societies
Registration Act 1860 and the amended Act of 1961.
However, there are a number of other registration laws for
NGOs, and the complexities of multiple laws continue to
hound the registration process despite stiff resistance put up
by the sector against such complexities. Other registration
laws governing NGOs include: Companies Ordinance
(1984), the Trust Act (1882), the Charitable Endowments Act
(1890), the Co-operative Act (1925) and the Voluntary Social
Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control) Ordinance
(1961).
An ADB report divides NGOs into four categories:
1
Those involved in advocacy and lobbying;
NGORC Journal, December 2007

2
3
4

Those involved in policy issues and debates;

Emergency and relief and rehabilitation organizations;
Those involved in implementation of development
projects, including service delivery organizations.

NGOs mostly rely on national and international donors'

assistance for funding and take initiatives in the areas of
advocacy, policy solutions, and research assistance while also
act as resource centres. In, Pakistan, NGOs can be divided
into four categories on the basis of their objectives and functions.
1. National level NGOs: These operate on national level
and many of them are extensions of international NGOs
such as the Aga Khan Foundation and the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature. National-level NGOs
serve in various areas including health, environment, human
rights and legal aid etc. Some of the examples are: World
Wide Fund (environment), Sustainable Development Policy
Institute (research and advocacy); Social Policy and
Development Centre (research); Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan (human rights, legal aid) and Aurat Foundation
(women's rights).

mainly acting as a subset NGOs. Their area of operation is

limited as they tend to be based in, and serve, a certain geographical location and community organization. For example,
there are a number of CBOs operating in Lyari, Thar and
rural Punjab, such as Lyari Community Development Project,
assisting the local communities in fulfilling the specific development needs of those certain regions. The NGO registration laws in Pakistan govern CBOs, and they usually consist
of an Executive Committee of office bearers and a General
Body membership. Top office bearers are inducted through
elections every two to three years and the CBOs are required
to maintain documented financial accounts.

Trade Unions:
These are mainly associations of workers in an industry
working for the cause of the protection of worker's rights
and interests. Trade unions are also known to carry out welfare activities to benefit their members. In Pakistan, trade
unions are actively working in various industries including
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), railways, post office, the print and electronic media industries,
banks and other public and private sector organizations.
Over the years, trade unions from different industries have

Currently, there is a marked

friction between the NGO sector
and the religious political parties
that see the former as extending
a Western agenda in the country.
2. Implementing and/or support organizations: These
include organizations such as Strengthening Participatory
Organizations (SPO) and South Asia Partnership Pakistan
(SAP Pak). These are known to work directly with communities supporting them in establishing community-based organizations, and providing assistance for their development projects.
3. Umbrella NGOs: The term is used for organization that
receives funding from donors or government, which is later
channelled to smaller NGOs and community-based organization to assist them in delivering service in related areas.
Examples of umbrella NGOs include: the Family Planning
Association of Pakistan, the Population Council, the Trust
for Voluntary Organizations, and the National Rural Support
Programme.
4. Service Delivery: These NGOs are involved in social
service delivery such as basic education, health, and family
planning. They may range from small local organizations to
mid-level NGOs.

Community Based Organizations (CBOs):

These are membership-based, grassroots organizations,
NGORC Journal, December 2007

formed federations on the national level to expand their area

of influence. Examples include: Pakistan Workers Federation,
All Pakistan Federation of Trade Unions, All Pakistan
Federation of Labour and Pakistan National Federation of
Trade Unions, among others.
As the civil society assumed different roles during different
times, its relations with successive regimes too went through
ups and downs, while people's perception about its functions
changed over the years too.
The government-civil society relations, over the years, have
largely been characterised by the nature of government and
the internal and external situation of the country. The state
has been observed to be comfortable with the NGOs that
restrict themselves to traditional activities such as welfare,
relief or service provision, NGOs seeking to work at
democratising the state have not been encouraged, though.
Democratic governments have been observed to be more
tolerant of the civil society than the non-democratic ones.
However, external forces have played an important role in the
way the civil society has shaped up over the years. As noticed,
the excessive foreign funding in the '80s and '90s have large5

ly been absorbed by the civil

society and played an important role in the proliferation of
the NGOs in the development
sector in Pakistan. At the same
time, democratic governments
too have made successive
attempts to bring the civil society under control and discourage the international NGOs
from operating in the country,
in view of the difficulty of
bringing them under the ambit
of local laws.
Almost all governments have
tried to control the civil society,
especially the NGO sector by
proposing and imposing stringent laws to rein them in. The
Zia regime had a policy requiring government's approval for
NGOs seeking foreign funding
- Zia regime was also known for massive crackdown on the
citizens, rights activists and the media in order to control their
activities.
The Peoples Party government did take a number of positive steps concerning the civil society, enhancing its role in
development and governance activities. At the same time, the
PPP government attempted to control the sector through the
NGO Bill drafted in 1996. The Nawaz Sharif government
era (1990-93 and 1997-99) is marked by continuous tensions
with the civil society as it perceived the civil society posing a
serious challenge to a few of the legislations (including
Shariat Bill) that the regime was keen on moving in the parliament. During the Sharif rule, there was a move to dissolve
a large number of NGOs in the Punjab Province while the
government also tried to bring under control foreign funding
extended to the sector. Such moves by the Sharif government
added to the growing acrimony between the government and
the civil society sector.
Currently, there is a marked friction between the NGO sector and the religious political parties that see the former as
extending a Western agenda in the country. The religious
parties have actively launched a campaign to ban organizations that are deemed to be at odds with the perceived
Islamic teachings, and the lives and security of leaders of
some of the secular non-profit organizations have even
been threatened.
As far as the general public is concerned, it has given a mixed
response to the civil society's endeavours to participate in the
development activities. Extensive concerns and reservations
have been raised about their transparency and accountability
structures and the sector is constantly challenged to prove its
integrity.
A number of NGOs have been subjected to intense resentment from the conservative section of the society. For
instance, the polio-vaccination drive in the NWFP, during the
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past two years, suffered a serious setback as the dominant

religious clergy attempted to
dissuade people from taking
the vaccination arguing that it
seeks to affect fertility.
Over the years, the civil society, especially the NGO sector,
has been the target of grave
terrorist
threat
too.
Organizations that are working in the troubled tribal
region and the Northern
Areas of the country, have
suffered significant losses as
their manpower, properties
and assets have come under
attack from extremists that
seek their expulsion from the
region, accusing them of
implementing a "Western
Agenda".
The rise of NGOs and their significance is marked by the
failure of the state and the political parties to meet the aspirations, and development needs of the people. 'Consequently,
people have started responding by organising for themselves
the provision of such (basic) services and the protection of
rights'.
Donor funding, a factor that the NGOs in Pakistan are highly dependent on, has been linked with the sustainability of
the sector, which in turn is linked to the strategy of sustainable development. The donor agencies are also expected to
assume the role of partners as this is perceived as a requisite
to ensure that the benefits of development initiatives accrue
to a large section of the society.
Though the NGO sector has significantly expanded the
scope of its operations graduating from voluntary service to
development initiatives, mediating and advocacy, there are
mixed arguments about the impact of their activities. While
success stories including, though not limited to, Edhi
Foundation, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, human
rights, and women's rights related efforts find extensive mention in the civil society literature, there are a number of factors that hamper the results and the effectiveness of the welfare and development initiatives undertaken by the NGOs.
Lack of institutional structure, irregular governmental regulation policy, lack of open system of accountability and transparency have been cited as prime reasons beyond the low
potential of this sector.
Currently, there are 65,000 registered and more than 100,000
unregistered non-profit organizations of different kinds
working in Pakistan.
The capacity of the NGOs is hampered by lack of education
and organizational skills. This has significantly impacted their
potential while also affecting the results of the efforts of the
NGOs.

NGORC Journal, August 2006