ISLAMABAD – Three months after civil and military leadership joined hands to purge the country of religious seminaries involved in spreading sectarian hatred or having links with terrorists, the National Assembly was informed Thursday that about zero progress made so far regarding registration of unregistered seminaries across the country.
MNA Dr Fauzia Hameed got no answer from Minister of State for Religious Affairs Pir Aminul Hasnat Shah when she asked him about the progress made by the government after unveiling National Action Plan (NAP) over the registration of religious seminaries in the country.
In fact, the minister sounded sympathetic towards the madrassas, saying all intelligence agencies in the country were separately collecting details of the students enrolled in religious seminaries.
“They (seminaries) complain that a single intelligence agency should be given the task to collect details of madrassa students.
The management of seminaries has conveyed these grievances to us,” the minister told the lower house during the question-hour session that largely asked the government about the action taken so far against hardcore religious institutions.
MNA Tariqullah asked the minister about exact number of the religious seminaries identified as having links with terrorists and the action taken so far by the government.
“We have asked the provincial governments to identify such seminaries,” the minister replied.
The house was informed that the Ministry of Interior in line with NAP had constituted a committee on registration and regulation of seminaries under the chairmanship of the religious affairs secretary to address the issue.
The minister also said there was no prescribed mechanism to examine Friday sermons in various mosques of Islamabad after he was asked by MNA Musarrat Rafique Mehesar whether the government had taken any measures to control intolerance among the followers of various sects in the country.
The minister claimed the government was promoting interfaith harmony by organising National Seerat Conference every year in Islamabad on 12th Rabi-ul-Awal in which prominent religious leaders take part.
To another question, the minister said the committee on Madrassa Reforms/Regulations, after unveiling NAP, had forwarded its progress report to the Ministry of Interior on February 26 for necessary action.
But neither the federal interior minister nor the minister of state was present in the house to inform the lawmakers about the action taken by the ministry regarding reforms and registration of religious seminaries in the country.
Pir Aminul Hasnat Shah said the committee had met thrice in February to discuss terms of reference (ToR) of the committee regarding reforms and registration of seminaries.
As per the ToR, he said, all seminaries would be registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 amended by an ordinance of 2005, adding the Ministry of Religious Affairs had devised a simple, uniform and comprehensive registration form aimed at facilitating the registration process.
To another question, the minister, however, said the concept of uniform prayer timings would be extended to the whole country after its successful implementation in the federal capital.
He added a detailed report would be shared with the provinces for further necessary action against unregistered seminaries in the respective provinces.http://nation.com.pk/national/27-Mar-2015/zero-progress-made-on-seminaries-registration-mps-told
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