It closed down Save the Children, one of the most recognized charities in the world, then asked thousands of other aid organisations to submit to strict new licensing procedures. Now Pakistan has cancelled the visas of three nuns prompting a lawsuit from the Catholic Church, says the Washington Post.
The paper states that the case highlights the Pakistani government’s growing suspicion of foreigners after the nuns were ordered last week to leave, after working in the country for over decade. One was principal at Islamabad Convent School, which also employed the wife of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan until she left in 2011, after, it reports, a dispute with the principal. The order to leave came only a month after immigration authorities had approved two-year visa extensions.
Last week the government reversed its decision and said Save the Children could continue its operations in Pakistan after the move to close them down was condemned by the State Department and many local commentators, who noted that Save the Children employs about 2,000 Pakistanis.