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Pakistan Halts Ordered Closure Of Save The Children Office


A Pakistani security official stands guard outside the office of the sealed international charity 'Save the Children' in Islamabad on June 12.
A Pakistani security official stands guard outside the office of the sealed international charity 'Save the Children' in Islamabad on June 12.

Pakistan's government has suspended an order to shut down the offices of Save the Children, according to a senior official and a government letter leaked on June 14, after international donors raised concerns over the interior minister's pledge to clamp down on aid groups.

Pakistani authorities closed the offices of international aid organization Save the Children on June 11. The following day, the interior minister accused some charities of breaking Pakistani laws and said they would be shut down.

He did not specify which groups or laws he was referring to.

The government letter, seen by the Reuters news agency, dated June 12 and marked "confidential," offered scant detail.

A senior Interior Ministry official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity as he wasn't authorized to discuss the decision, also did not elaborate.

Saeed Ahmed, a spokesman for Save the Children in Pakistan, said they had no word from the government on the decision.

Save the Children was linked to a Pakistani doctor recruited by the CIA to help in the hunt that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
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