PM assures Fazl of allaying concerns about madrasa bill

ISLAMABAD/SWABI/LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured Maulana Fazlur Rehman to address his grievances with regard to a bill relating to registration of religious seminaries, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) spokesperson said after telephonic talk between the two leaders.

Maulana Fazl apprised the prime minister of his reservations over refusal of President Asif Ali Zardari to sign the bill which was passed by the National Assembly last month.

He told Shehbaz that his party was stuck to its stance that there would be no compromise on autonomy and freedom of madaris.

The spokesperson said that the JUIF chief also urged that the bill should not be made controversial.

Earlier, President Zardari returned the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024 which amends the Societies Registration Act 1860 after raising certain objections. The bill was passed by the National Assembly and the Senate on October 21 along with the 26th Amendment bill and other bills.

The sources said that the president also raised an objection that education was a provincial subject.

Maulana Fazl, during Wednesday’s meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also expressed serious reservations over the president’s refusal to sign the bill.

Now the bill would be placed before joint sitting of Parliament for approval with simple majority and would be sent to the president again for his approval and he would give his assent within 10 days.

The Article 75 (2) of the Constitution says that when the president has returned a Bill to the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament), it shall be reconsidered by the Majlis-e-Shoora in joint sitting and, if it is again passed, with or without amendment, by the Majlis-e-Shoora, by the votes of the majority of the members of both Houses present and voting; it shall be deemed for the purposes of the Constitution to have been passed by both Houses and shall be presented to the president, and the president shall give his assent within ten days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media during his visit to Swabi district, Maulana Fazl said that his party had not yet decided on launching a long march to Islamabad and criticised sending back with objections the bill related to madrassa registration, calling it a move made in bad faith.

The JUIF leader said that there was an agreement on the madrassa bill before the election and a draft was prepared and consensus had been reached, and now the objection was not acceptable to his party. He said that the issue of madaris would be tackled with force and blasted the government for its failure to approve it. “The government is using delaying tactics to pass the bill. The government is consciously leading the people to protest,” he said. The incumbent government did not have a constitutional cover and was doing nothing for welfare of the people, he went on to add.

Maulana Fazl recalled that when the draft for the madrassa registration bill was being prepared, several meetings were held between the government and other key stakeholders. He said the discussions were aimed at reaching a consensus on the matter, but the objections raised by President Zardari, who had been part of these talks, were an attempt to create distrust in the political atmosphere.

“The objection to the bill is an injustice,” he said, adding that it was unfortunate that the government actions were leading the country toward protests rather than dialogue. He criticised the government for failing to maintain law and order and said there seemed to be no government in the province where law and order was deteriorating.

The JUIF leader expressed concern about the government’s alleged misuse of state resources and its inability to resolve issues through dialogue.

He warned that the ongoing political crisis was leading the country towards a state of distrust, and called for an environment of mutual trust. He lamented the government’s failure to soften tensions, which he believed would only intensify public protests.

The JUIF chief said law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had deteriorated and people were facing a host of problems but the government had utterly failed to provide security to the people.

He questioned why the KP governor had to call a meeting, adding that he lacked such power and was not in a position to gather all stakeholders on one platform. He said that the governor’s rule was not a solution to the current situation.

He said that the JUIF was gearing up for a large protest in Peshawar on Sunday to hold a rally in solidarity with Palestinians. He said the party would present its stance to the public during the event.

Earlier, the JUIF chief offered fateha (prayers) for the late central chief of JUI-Nazriati and former MNA Maulana Khalil Ahmad Mukhlis. Maulana Khalil Ahmad Mukhlis, who passed away five days ago, had previously been part of JUIF but later parted ways with Maulana Fazl due to differences.

Meanwhile, speaking to journalists in Lahore on Friday, JUIF Secretary-General Abdul Ghafoor Haideri warned the incumbent government of staging a march on Islamabad if the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act 2024 did not get approval.

Haideri expressed concern over the government’s “ill intentions” to delay the approval of the madrassa registration bill.

He emphasised that while the JUIF did not wish for confrontation, adding that they would be compelled to act if their demands were ignored. He urged the government to ensure immediate approval to prevent further unrest.

Meanwhile, another JUIF leader Hafiz Hamdullah questioned the president’s reluctance to sign the bill, saying that the PPP and Bilawal were on board until the passage of the bill.

He suggested that Bilawal should talk to his father and play his role as the issue was of the supremacy of Parliament, warning that Maulana Fazl would be forced to take action.

It should be noted that the JUIF chief had earlier said the party would announce a future course of action in Peshawar on December 8 if the government failed to sign the legislation by December 7.