Fazl sets one-day ultimatum over madrassa bill

NOWSHERA/ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Saturday set a one-day ultimatum to the government to finalise the madrassa registration bill or his party would launch a protest movement.

Speaking at a reception at Jamia Usmania, Jalozai Campus, he warned that if the government failed to proceed, a nationwide anti-government movement would be launched against the rulers.

He criticised the delays in passing the bill, which had previously been unanimously approved during negotiations involving President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PMLN President Nawaz Sharif.

Despite being passed by the National Assembly and Senate, objections raised by the president have stalled its enactment, the Maulana said. “I will not accept even a single amendment in the bill,” he added.

Shedding light on the significance of the bill, the JUIF leader said that it was drafted through mutual consensus aimed at providing autonomy to religious seminaries in choosing their registration bodies.

He criticized the government for inconsistencies in its approach, including closing seminary accounts and pressurising institutions under the guise of regulation.

The Maulana lamented the diminishing role of Islamic education in state-run schools and underscored the importance of seminaries in safeguarding Islam against modern challenges. He rejected claims that seminaries were opposed to modern education.

He reiterated his commitment to peaceful dialogue but warned that persistent attempts to marginalize seminaries would force a stronger response. “We do not seek confrontation but if pressured, we will demonstrate,” he stated.

The JUIF leader announced plans to unveil the future course of action at an upcoming conference for expressing solidarity with the Palestinians . He maintained that any attempt to eliminate seminaries would be met with resistance.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman assured that his party remained in contact with other religious leaders, including Mufti Taqi Usmani, and would continue consultations to safeguard the interests of religious seminaries. He said that conspiracies were being hatched to weaken the country, adding that his party would foil such bids.

The Maulana 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 lower tensions, which he believed would 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 failed to provide security to people.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain has rejected an impression of rolling back the system of registration of religious seminaries and at the same time refused to accept the demand for a new system to register madaris.

In a statement on Saturday, the minister said that the system of registration of religious seminaries already existed under the Directorate of Religious Education. “The Ministry of Education and Directorate of Religious Education have already made registration of madaris easy,” he said.

He said that after efforts of years, the one-window system for registration of madaris was devised under the Directorate General of Religious Education and around 18,000 religious seminaries have been registered under this directorate. Previously, the religious seminaries were facing legal complications and lengthy process for their registration. “Accepting demand for a new system of registration will mean that a profession given under jurisdiction of a irrelevant ministry,” he said. He pointed out if the demand for the start of new system of registration of madaris is accepted, all the previous hard work will fizzle out. “Religious seminaries are educational institutions and not industrial organisations,” he said.

The minister maintained country’s system was run according to principles, rules and regulations and it was not based on any body’s wishes. The minister said that some time was required to remove legal complications in giving the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024 as shape of an Act of Parliament. “This does not mean that the whole system of registration of deeni madaris will be rolled back,” he maintained.

Salik Hussain said the government while accepting demand of Mauana Fazlur Rehman fulfilled its commitment by getting the bill seeking registration of deeni madaris passed by parliament. He pointed out that deeni madaris are also educational institutions which fall in jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education.

Meanwhile, the Wafaqul Madaris Al Arabia Pakistan has regretted undue delay in solution of an issue concerning registration of religious seminaries.

In a statement on Saturday, the Wafaqul Madaris said that despite consensus among all the stakeholders, the issue was being further complicated which would deteriorate the situation. “Delay in giving bill concerning registration of Madaris as an Act of Parliament is not a good omen for the country and the nation.” The statement said that depriving male and female students of seminaries of basic human rights and bright future is a big injustice.

The Wafaqul Madaris Al Arabia also appreciated efforts of Maulana Fazlur Rehman for madaris across the country. The statement has been issued jointly by Nazims of four provinces Maulana Imdadullah (Sindh), Maulana Salahuddin (Balochistan), Maulana Hussain Ahmad (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Maulana Zubair Siddiqui (South Punjab), Maulana Qazi Nisar (Gilgit-Baltistan) and Syed Adnan Shah (Azad Jammu and Kashmir).

They said that tactics being used to impose curbs on autonomy and independence of deeni madaris and international agenda was not acceptable at all. They said that they always followed path of talks and did not opt for movement and protest but regretfully affairs relating to the madaris were being complicated. They called upon the government to apprise the nation of agreements made with external powers or international institutions with regard to affairs of madaris.

“We do not know as to which powers are creating hurdles in resolving the issue despite the fact that all stakeholders are on one page,” they said.

Meanwhile, Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Hafiz Mohammed Tahir Ashrafi said Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the government know better what agreement was reached between them on madaris (religious seminaries) but all educational systems in Pakistan are linked to the Ministry of Education, and similarly, religious seminaries have also been linked to the DG Office established for the Religious Education. “But now Maulana Fazlur Rehman is demanding that religious seminaries be linked to the Ministry of Industries. I do not understand what connection education has with the Ministry of Industries or the Ministry of Interior and I believe that this will not be beneficial for religious seminaries,” he said while talking to the News.

PUC Chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said, “We had demanded that religious seminaries be linked to the Ministry of Education, and we are the protectors of all religious seminaries in Pakistan. There is no threat to any religious seminaries in the country and no action will be taken against any religious seminaries and there will be no crackdown.”