Joint session likely on 17th amid deadlock on madrasa bill

ISLAMABAD: Amid the ongoing consultations between the coalition government and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) over the contentious madrasa registration bill, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sent an advice to President Asif Ali Zardari for holding a joint session of parliament on December 17, parliamentary sources told Geo News.

The premier has advised the president to summon a joint session of parliament on Tuesday at 11 am, the sources said, adding that eight bills, including the contentious madrasa registration bill, are likely to be tabled.

They also added that a consultation process was underway between the government and Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led party on a new bill after President Zardari had “raised eight objections” over the previous legislation — Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024.

The disputed madrasa bill, which has already been passed by both houses of parliament, has become a bone of contention between the JUIF and government. Its enactment was part of an agreement between the government and religio-political party for supporting the 26th Amendment.

Following its approval from parliament, the bill now requires the president’s assent to become a law but President Zardari had returned the bill earlier this month, citing legal objections. According to the Constitution, the bill must be tabled before a joint sitting after the president refuses to sign it.

Reacting to objections to the legislation on Saturday, JUIF leader Hafiz Hamdullah alleged that the government’s “prime objective is to hand over seminaries to FATF [Financial Action Task Force] at the behest of global anti-money laundering watchdog”.

“It has also proved that this is not parliament of Pakistan but FATF’s,” the JUI-F leader said. He went on to say that the country’s “parliament is not independent to legislate [laws]”.

He said that objections would not have been raised at the seminaries registration bill had the legal experts at President House read the legislation.

Speaking to the media in Karachi earlier Saturday, Federal Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that 10 out of 15 seminaries’ boards had raised objections to the bill, which led the federal government to review it. He added that the government was working to give a legal shape to the Societies Act.

Meanwhile, JUIF spokesperson Aslam Ghouri in a statement asked President Zardari to quit the presidentship with dignity if he cannot face external pressure. He said that refusal to sign the bill concerning registration of Madaris amounts an insult to the Constitution, democracy, parliament and Islam under external pressure. “The president has admitted that integrity of the nation and country has been compromised and mortgaged for the sake of few dollars,” the spokesperson added.

He said the nation was rightful in questioning whether financial institutions influenced by Jews would take decisions about Pakistan’s Masjids and Deeni Madaris. He said the president with his decision was distorting the history of struggle of Pakistan Peoples Party for democracy.

He warned that they would opt for protest if their rights were not protected in a constitutional and democratic way. “We have strong arguments for our stance and will use the right of protest if these arguments are not accepted,” Ghouri said. He said that there was unrest among Deeni Madaris and religious segment against the Aiwan-e-Sadr for backing out of commitment.

In a post on X, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said the objections raised by the president on the seminaries registration bill are completely “constitutional and legal”. “In these objections, there is no mention of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), nor they have any connection with it,” said the minister.

He said it was not in the interest of anyone to politicise the constitutional and legal matters. “Linking the registration of seminaries with FATF is nothing but a creation of complete imagination and speculation,” he said. The Constitution elaborated the complete procedure for legislation, he said, adding the president objected in accordance with the Constitution and parliament would also rectify it in the same spirit.

The purpose of these speculations is to target the powers of president and parliament, he said, while urging the people not to criticise the issue just for the sake of criticism.

Meanwhile, speaking to the media in Chakwal, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan said that President Zardari did not put any obstacle to the madrasa bill. He said that there are various suggestions of Maulana Fazl’s clerics on the bill which have to be brought on one page. The governor said that the bill for the registration of madrasa has to be brought in such a way that all madrasas accept it.