President Asif Ali Zardari returned the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill – legislation intended to register madressahs – raising objections and sending it back to the federal government on Thursday.

The federal government is expected to convene a session of the National Assembly next week, following this development.

The Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024, is legislation stemming from an agreement between the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and the government in support of the 26th Constitutional Amendment. It extends the provisions of the Societies Registration Act of 1860 and introduces regulations for the registration of ‘Deeni Madaris’ through the relevant deputy commissioner’s office.

Under the new bill, seminaries with multiple campuses would require only a single registration. Each institution is mandated to provide an annual report detailing its educational activities to the registrar. Furthermore, every madrasah is required to have its financial accounts audited and to submit the audit report to the registrar as well. The bill also prohibits seminaries from teaching or disseminating materials that endorse militancy, sectarianism, or religious hatred.

Sources told Aaj News that government circles are also considering summoning a joint session of Parliament to discuss the bill. The bill had previously been approved by both houses during the 26th Constitutional Amendment process, but the president has sent it back without his signature.

It would be “necessary” to convene a joint session of Parliament for the bill to be reconsidered, they added.

On Wednesday, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari hurried to meet JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman after strong warnings from the religio-political party leaders regarding delays in the enactment of the bill.

According to media reports, the PPP leaders assured JUI-F’s senior members that President Zardari would soon sign the bill. They added that some factions were opposing the amended legislation, which had already received approval from both houses of Parliament.

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In comments to the media after the discussions, Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri expressed frustration over the president’s procrastination. He questioned, “The president is delaying the signing of the bill, but can he really object to it and refuse to sign?”

The president represents the federation and is not affiliated with any political party, the JUI-F senator said.

“The PPP assured today (Wednesday) that the president will sign the bill for madressah registration,” Haideri said and added that obstacles in the bill’s enactment were coming from somewhere else, without naming any person or authority.