ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s government announced Tuesday that international aid groups can operate for another six months provided they register with officials in three months’ time, a relief for humanitarian groups worried since authorities suddenly shut the offices of Save the Children.
Though Pakistan’s Interior Ministry later reversed the order closing the charity last week, also without explanation, other groups feared being targeted.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with senior government officials to discuss how Pakistan will interact with aid groups in the future. The meeting ended with officials announcing that such groups now must register with the government and receive official approval to operate in Pakistan.
Authorities did not elaborate on why the government suddenly wants such groups to register, nor did it lay out those procedures.