80 percent Madaris registered: minister

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Ejaz-ul-Haq on Tuesday said the government has registered about 80 percent Madaris (religious schools) across the country. Speaking in a PTV programme, he said presently Madaris were providing free of cost education, boarding and meal facilities to about one million students without the help of the government.
The minister further said the Madaris had also started providing modern education to their students along with religious education.
Ejaz-ul-Haq said government wanted to bring all the Madaris in the mainstream by extending all possible assistance to them.
In the recent past, the Boards of all five Wafaq-ul-Madaris at a meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf had helped removing misperception about them, he added.
To a question, he said the perception that the Madaris were producing religious extremists was absolutely wrong.
He said recently foreign delegations visit to various Madaris had also endorsed government' s stance that no Madrassah was providing extremist education to students.
To anther question, he said the government had made elaborate arrangements to provide maximum facilities to intending pilgrims during their stay in Saudi Arabia.
About 150,000 Pakistani pilgrims under the government and private schemes would perform Haj during 2005, he added.
The minister said special arrangements had been made for speedy custom clearance of the pilgrims.
60-bed hospital and eight dispensaries at different places had been set up in Makkahtul-Mukarrama to provide health facilities to Pakistani pilgrims during Haj, he added.
Ejaz-ul-Haq said best possible facilities would be ensured to pilgrims at Muzdalfa, Mina and Arafat.
The residential accommodation for Hujjaj had been acquired in two categories named as 'Green and Yellow.' The Green accommodation would be at a distance of 800 meters while Yellow at the distance of 1300 meters from the Haram, Ejaz-ul-Haq added.
To a query, he said two joint secretaries had been sent to look after and redress the problems of Hujjaj during their stay.
Replying to another question, he said the Ministry of Religious Affairs was considering introducing Umra passport from next season to prevent Pakistani pilgrims from over staying in Saudi Arabia.
He said a number of Pakistani Umra pilgrims did not return after performing Umra especially in Ramazan and prefer to stay in the Holy Land for performing Haj.
This situation created problems not only for Umra pilgrims but also for their organisers, he added.
He pointed out Saudi government approved a stipulated quota for Pakistani Hujjaj, but the Saudi authorities had to take care of Pakistanis who stay there after performing Umra.
The minister said it was imperative to devise a mechanism to prevent the Umra pilgrims from overstaying, he added.