The Lahore High Court has directed the federal secretary, Ministry of Interior, to decide an application seeking an inquiry into the financial affairs of an NGO namely Digital Rights Foundation (DRF).

Justice Muhammad Shan Gul passed the order while disposing of a petition by a citizen, Adnan Ashraf Tarar. The petitioner arraigned the ministry, registrar joint-stock companies, the chairman of Punjab Charity Commission and the DRF through its executive director Nighat Dad.

According to a news report, Advocate Wajid Farid, the counsel for the petitioner, argued that the DRF being a non-profit organisation collected funds from local citizens as well as foreign NGOs and organisations since its inception in 2013.

He said the federal government had in 2015 notified a policy to regulate the international NGOs requiring them to get a fresh registration with the ministry of interior. He claimed that the respondent NGO failed to get itself registered and the authority declined to renew the registration since 2017.

The counsel alleged that the respondent organisation, in violation of the government's policy, had been receiving foreign funding, which was evident from three audit reports submitted by the foundation with the registrar joint stock companies. He said the petitioner filed an application with the interior ministry for the inquiry but to no avail.

The judge disposed of the petition with a direction to the secretary interior to decide the application, if pending, strictly in accordance with law and preferably within 20 days.