February 24, 2025
By Iqra Manzoor
LAHORE
In a move that has sparked widespread concern within civil society, the offices of Pattan, a non governmental organisation (NGO), were sealed by authorities in Islamabad and Multan. Representatives of the organisation claim that the action was carried out against them in retribution for their report exposing alleged rigging in the general elections held in February 2024.
According to a formal statement, on Friday, February 21, the house of its national coordinator Sarwar Bari, and Pattan’s office in Multan were sealed on the orders of the Ministry of Interior. The organisation’s spokesperson William Parvaiz in the statement said that around two dozen police officials, along with a magistrate, barged into Bari’s house located in Sector F-10, Islamabad and sealed it.
During the raid, Bari’s wife, sister-in-law, and a 90-year-old elderly female were present and were forced to evacuate the premises. Bari recounted, “My family was being evicted and harassed during the raid at my house. My wife, sister-in-law, and an elderly female, 90 years old, were present at the house.”
Ruffled feathers
Sarwar Bari, while speaking to Voicepk in an exclusive interview, alleged that the government’s actions are a direct result of Pattan’s comprehensive report, “War on Voters?“, which exposed electoral irregularities in the 2024 Pakistan General Elections. The report, which includes references to Forms 45 and 47, claims that the elections were not legitimate and that those in power committed fraud to win.
In the report, the general elections 2025 were described as “unprecedentedly rigged” with “vote-rigging, fraud and manipulation”. The report demanded the establishment of an inquiry commission to investigate and hold accountable those responsible for alleged electoral rigging.
Bari came out swinging against the government’s crackdown on their offices, claiming that the authorities have given no prior notices or warnings before they made their move.
Meanwhile authorities claim that Pattan was dissolved in 2019 and did not challenge the order in any court. This came out in a notification issued by Ashar Ijaz, the Industrial Development Officer, ICT and signed and stamped by a Magistrate.
In a separate statement, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) termed Pattan’s report a continuation of “baseless and fabricated propaganda to defame institutions”. The ECP spokesman claimed that Pattan and its officials are part of an organised conspiracy to defame the country’s institutions.
But the organisation’s spokesperson has denied this, stating that Pattan never received any notice from the registration authority about its dissolution.
Other civil society activists have also condemned the move by the authorities. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has criticised the action against Pattan, calling it ‘a violation of Article 14(1) of the Constitution’. The HRCP statement has raised concerns about the government’s attempts to silence organisations that expose electoral irregularities.
Pattan Development Organisation has been working in Pakistan since 1992, focusing on community development, governance, and democracy. The organisation has helped found some of the leading civil society networks in Pakistan and is a member of global and regional networks on disaster, governance, and democracy.
Bari questioned the government’s assertion that Pattan was de-registered in 2019, pointing out that if this were true, their projects would not have received approval from government departments in 2022. He provided documentary evidence to Voicepk to support his claim, highlighting what he calls the government’s apparent ‘hypocrisy’.
He also said that government officials were involved in Pattan’s organisational activities over the past years, but now, the current government was threatening them by sealing their homes and offices. This, he argued, was a clear attempt to silence dissenting voices and undermine democratic institutions.
Voicepk made several efforts to reach out to the District Administration Islamabad to get their stance on the situation, however, the Deputy Commissioner could not be contacted.
Colonial hangover?
Voicepk also spoke to Mohammad Tahseen, Executive Director of South Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK), a consortium of Canadian and South Asian NGOs. Tahseen strongly condemned the government’s sealing of Pattan Organisation’s offices. He termed the government’s action as “ridiculous” and “embarrassing.”
“We condemn this act by the government,” Tahseen said. “This is no way that if the government does not like the action of any individual or organisation, it will raid and seal the homes and offices of those people.”
Tahseen questioned the government’s motives, asking if Pakistan was in fact a colonial state where citizens’ rights were disregarded. He emphasized that it is the fundamental right of individuals and organisations to express their views and assemble peacefully.
“The sealing of someone’s house is colonial, no matter what the details and politics behind the situation are,” he said. Referring to the developmental work that the NGOs have been doing, especially in the recent past when Pakistan was hit by floods, and NGOs helped the government in many aspects, Tahseen said that the government had never really supported the organizations.
“Over the last 40 years, I have never heard any government ever formally stating that civil society organisations should be praised for their work and contributions.”
Tahseen argued that even if Pattan Organisation was doing something unlawful, the government should have issued a legal notice and taken the organisation to court. He termed the government’s action as a clear attempt to silence dissenting voices.
“Are we even living in our own country or is it a colonial state?” Tahseen questioned. “Nobody can question the right to assembly and expression. It is shameful that the government has sealed both of the organisation’s offices.”
Alluding to the way the government has suddenly sealed off the organisation’s offices, and how it is but a clear attempt to silence dissenting voices, Tahseen sums up the situation in a short sentence:
“This behavior towards the citizens is purely colonial,” he says.