Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman has rejected the draft of a government bill concerning religious schools (madressahs), stating that the aim was not to confront the state but rather to facilitate the registration of seminaries.

“Scholars are being pitted against each other in this matter,” he told reporters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Charsadda on Monday.

A meeting regarding the registration and reforms of madressahs is taking place today in Islamabad, attended by prominent scholars from across Pakistan’s various schools of thought. It aims to gather opinions from scholars regarding the registration and reforms of madrasas.

Fazl emphasised that the Islamabad meeting was a “conspiracy to divide scholars.” The religio-political considered all scholars as part of their community and were committed to fighting for the rights of religious schools, representing all madressahs and scholars, he added.

Fazl pledged that his party would take every possible measure to safeguard religious schools and support their rights.

He expressed respect for the scholars who gathered in Islamabad, emphasising that they were discussing legal matters and urged the government not to turn the matter into a “political battleground.”

The religio-political leader added that he was prepared to make a “definitive announcement” regarding the madressah bill on Sunday, but it did not happen.

He raised a question about the “inconsistency” in the government’s actions, stating, “If the president can sign other acts, why not the madresssah bill?” The government has not accepted any proposals and expressed skepticism about the success of any potential governor’s rule, the JUI-F leader alleged.

“New controversies should be avoided,” he said and reiterated that their aim was to protect the country. Fazl claimed that he had already consulted all relevant parties about the bill.

The JUI-F chief postponed the party’s march to Islamabad to pressurise the government to enact the bill—legislation intended to register madressahs. “It has been decided that a meeting of all allied madressahs will be held to take everyone into confidence and adopt a unified stance. If a call needs to be made afterwards, be prepared; this meeting will take place on December 16 or 17,” Fazl told supporters on in Peshawar.

Naqvi meets Wafaqul Madaris patron-in-chief

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met with Maulana Fazl Rahim Ashrafi, the patron-in-chief of the Wafaq ul Madaris and other eminent scholars at the Jamia Ashrafia. The interior minister inquired about the health of Rahim and expressed his best wishes for him.

They discussed the seminaries’ bill in detail.

“There should be no politics on the issues of seminaries. We would play our positive role on the issue of seminaries. The seminaries in Punjab should also be under the Education Department like the federal government,” Rahim said.

The interior minister thanked the Wafaqul Madaris for his assurance of playing a “positive role” regarding seminaries.

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Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024

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.