Registration of madrassas begins across Pakistan; religious figures share concerns

ISLAMABAD: Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar addressed Ulema and Mashaikh meeting regarding registration and reforms of madrassas (religious seminaries), here on Monday.

A system has been formulated to bring madrassas into the mainstream, the Information Minister said, adding that the system has been formulated after extensive consultation regarding the registration of madrassas. “The aim is to bring madrassas into the mainstream and eliminate the negative things associated with them,” Tarar added.

He said that the students studying and graduating from madrassas should not be harmed. The information minister informed the attendees that the registration of 18,000 madrassas is the fruit of the efforts of the Religious Education Department. “I congratulate the Director General of Religious Education. The efforts of scholars are also included in the registration [process],” he said, adding, “The Madrassas Bill could not become a law due to some legal complications”.

However, he noted that the suggestions of the scholars have been noted and the government will hold consultations on these suggestions and find a final solution. He said that the government agrees with many of the suggestions received by the eminent scholars in this regard.

Madrassa students are moving forward in higher education, Attaullah Tarar said, noting that these students have been given the opportunity to move forward in life by providing them with equal opportunities.

“Today, all schools of thought of Pakistan are represented here,” he added.

The information minister said that the government wants a solution that is acceptable to everyone, and therefore they will also seek suggestions from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Chaudhry Salik Hussain said that it is very important for the state and scholars to come closer. Speaking about the career opportunities for madrassah graduates, he said that after receiving education from madrassas, the students start teaching recitation of the Quran to children or become the Imam of a mosque.

Earlier, Mufti Abdur Rahman said that the religious seminaries should be kept away from politics. “Why are madrassas being used for votes?” he asked. Scholar Jawad Naqvi said, “The government has zero role in building madrassas. “The government should allocate plots for building madrassas, and the madrassas should be deregistered before they are registered under the Ministry of Education.”

He said that the current situation is a result of the flawed policies of the government, which is now resulting in scholars opposing each other. “The scholars should not stand against each other. The government should take the religious leaders into confidence with regards to madrassa policies,” he said, adding, “I fear that our madrassas may be shut down”.

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