Dawn
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18:51 Apr 13, 2026
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday set aside a ruling that had struck down a federal government policy introduced in 2022 to regulate foreign funding of non-governmental and non-profit organisations. The policy was set aside by a single bench in September 2024, with Justice Asim Hafeez observing the constitutional scheme did not envisage the exercise of legislative powers by the federal cabinet unless such power or authority was exercised under the authority of the legislature. He had declared the policy unlawful, invalid and of no legal effect. But a two-member bench comprising Justice Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Syed Ahsan Raza Kazmi observed today that such policy-making squarely fell within the executive domain and was protected from “undue judicial interference”. The bench restored the Policy for Local NGOs/NPOs Receiving Foreign Contributions 2022. Multiple intra-court appeals were filed by the federation in the wake of a Sept 6, 2024 judgment. Advocate Saqib Jillani, who represented the pe...