A significant development has emerged regarding the registration of religious seminaries in Pakistan. President Asif Zardari has signed the Societies Registration Act 2024 into law.

According to a spokesperson for the National Assembly, the bill has become law following the President’s signature, and the Assembly will soon issue a gazette notification to this effect.

The spokesperson clarified that under this law, the registration of religious seminaries will be conducted in accordance with the Societies Act. The matter, the spokesperson added, has been resolved through mutual understanding.

The Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024 extends the Societies Registration Act, 1860 and includes provisions for the registration of ‘Deeni Madaris’ under the relevant deputy commissioner office.

The act focuses on the registration of seminaries through the relevant deputy commissioner’s office, reverting to practices established before 2019.

The bill specifies that a madressah with more than one campus needs only one registration, and every madressah must submit an annual report of its educational activities to the registrar. Moreover, each madressah must have its accounts audited by an auditor and submit the audit report to the registrar.

Last week, President Zardari expressed concerns about potential negative consequences for Pakistan’s international standing and internal stability if the bill turned into a law. Earlier, he did not sign the bill and raised objections to it.

On December 17, the Ittehad Tanzeemat-i-Madaris Pakistan, a coalition of the country’s major madressah oversight bodies, demanded that the government issue a gazette notification for the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act 2024.

On December 20, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed hope that his party’s demand for enacting the madressah registration bill would be approved after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad.

“The prime minister has instructed the law ministry to take immediate action in accordance with the law and the Constitution,” Fazl said.

In reaction to the development, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri expressed gratitude upon the notification of the madresssah bill.

The JUI-F spokesperson emphasised that “their struggle has borne fruit,” asserting that the party would continue to play a role in “protecting religious seminaries.”

Ghauri emphasised that religious “seminaries are the strongholds of Islam and defenders of Pakistan’s ideological geography,” stating that unity among scholars was crucial for the protection of such institutions.

He claimed that every conspiracy against madressahs would be thwarted, insisting that there would be no compromise on their autonomy.