Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman of his support for the madressah registration legislation in the provinces, sources said on Friday.

The premier said this during a recent telephonic conversation with the JUI-F chairman who requested the former to play a role in his role in this regard.

PM Shehbaz informed the religiopolitical leader that he would reach out to the chief ministers to discuss the “necessary legislation” for the madrasah registration.

Last month, President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Societies Registration Amendment Bill concerning the registration of religious schools, following which the National Assembly Secretariat issued the bill’s gazette notification.

Under the new law, madressahs would have the right to register either under the Society Registration Act or with the Ministry of Education. According to the NA spokesperson, the Senate approved the bill on October 20.

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.

What is the bill

The bill for madrasah registration was introduced in the Senate on October 20, 2024. It was titled the ‘Societies Registration Amendment Act 2024’ and included several provisions.

One significant amendment in the bill is the introduction of a new clause titled ‘Registration of Religious Madrasahs,’ which modifies Section 21 of the 1860 Act. The new clause mandates that every religious madressasah, regardless of its name, must be registered. Any seminary found operating without registration would be shut down.

Clause 21-A stated that religious madressasah established before the enactment of the Act must complete their registration within six months if they are not already registered.

According to Clause B of the bill, madressasahs established after the bill’s enactment must complete their registration within one year. It also specifies that religious schools with multiple campuses need to register only once.

Clause 2 of the bill stipulates that each madressasah must submit an annual report of its educational activities to the registrar.

As per Clause 3, every madressasah is required to have its financial accounts audited by an external auditor. After this, seminaries are authorised to submit a copy of the audit report to the registrar.

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Clause 4 prohibits any religious madressasah from teaching or publishing literature that promotes militancy, sectarianism, or religious hatred.

It also included a provision mandating that each madressasah gradually incorporate modern subjects into its curriculum based on its resources, as stated in Clause 5.

Clause 6 clarifies that under the Act, madressasah would not need to register under any other existing law for their registration.

According to Clause 7, once a religious madressasah is registered under the Act, it woulf not require registration under any other law. The term ‘religious madressasah’ in the context encompasses any religious institution or Jamia Darul Uloom, or any other entity established for the promotion of religious education, regardless of the name it is called.