Despite an intensified crackdown by the Punjab Home Department and the proscription of 89 banned organizations, anonymous donation boxes continue to surface across Punjab, raising serious concerns over unregulated charity collections and potential misuse of funds.
Commonly referred to as “nameless donation boxes”, these containers are typically secured with chains and locks and placed at busy road intersections, commercial markets, shopping malls, and even outside banks.
The lack of identification leaves donors unaware of who controls the collections or how the money is ultimately used.
Security and governance experts warn that billions of rupees could be flowing through these boxes every year without any formal oversight. Such unchecked fundraising, they argue, risks undermining the goals of the National Action Plan, which seeks to dismantle financial networks linked to extremism and instability.
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Former civil servant Yawar Mehdi described the anonymous boxes as “silent routes of funding,” cautioning that they pose a nationwide threat if left unaddressed.
He urged both federal and provincial authorities to dismantle what he termed a dangerous and loosely connected network operating in plain sight.
Mehdi called for the immediate confiscation of all unidentified donation boxes under the supervision of divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, and district police officers while maintaining transparent records of any recovered funds to ensure accountability.
Officials from the Punjab Home Department acknowledged that despite enforcement efforts, some anonymous donation boxes remain active.
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They said authorities plan to identify their owners once the registration process of religious seminaries (madaris) across the province is completed.
According to officials, registered madaris will be required to formally declare any donation boxes placed in public areas.
They added that donation boxes belonging to registered charities and non-governmental organizations already display proper identification, including organization names and official registration codes, distinguishing them from illegal or anonymous collections.
Analysts say stronger coordination between law enforcement agencies, local administrations, and financial regulators will be essential to eliminate unregulated fundraising channels and to protect genuine charitable activity from being exploited for illicit purposes.
