The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam spokesperson has accused the ruling coalition of failing to fulfil the commitment to enacting the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill – legislation intended to register madressahs.

“We want to register madressahs, but the government does not want to do so,” Aslam Ghauri said while appearing on News Insight with Amir Zia which was aired on Aaj News on Thursday.

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.

The religiopolitical party readied the madressah registration bill in the 16-month tenure of the PDM, he said and added that the bill was stopped on its second vote in Parliament.

Ghauri added that his party also discussed it with the PPP at the Bilawal House in Karachi.

Earlier in the day, President Asif Ali Zardari returned the bill while raising objections and sent it back to the federal government.

When asked, he said: “We have been told that there is an international pressure, like from FATF. But by this [delay], they are provoking people and failing to fulfil the commitment.”

On the consecutive delay, he wondered if there was anything more supreme than Parliament. Ghauri noted that the government passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment and two controversial events, but did not pass the seminary bill.

In response to a question on the arrest of PTI leaders, the JUI-F spokesperson said that the government was apparently deviating the people’s attention from core issues.

“Today there is democratic martial law in the country.”