ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari raised objections on the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024 (Madrassah’s registration) that laws already exist and there is no need for a new legislation and it would affect Pakistan’s ratings from organisations such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), it is learnt.
Referring to the existing laws related to madrassah registration, according to the sources, the president pointed out that the new legislation is unnecessary as two laws, Pakistan Madrasa Education Board Ordinance, 2001, and the Islamabad Capital Territory Trust Act, 2020, are already in place.
The president also warned that registering madrasahs under this law could foster sectarianism and disrupt peace and order due to the construction of multiple madrasahs within a single society.
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Additionally, such a registration system could lead to conflicts of interest and attract global criticism, potentially affecting Pakistan’s ratings from organisations such as the FATF.
The president also remarked that international organisations such as the FATF might change their opinion if the bill becomes a law.
The president also noted that the Societies Registration Act of 1860 applies within Islamabad’s jurisdiction, but the bill does not include any clause regarding its applicability only in Islamabad. He expressed concerns that registering madrasahs as societies could lead to their use for purposes other than education.
The president pointed out contradictions in the definition of “madrasah” in various sections of the bill.
He also highlighted that the term “madrasah” is not mentioned in the preamble of the Societies Registration Act of 1860, which would create a contradiction with the new bill’s inclusion of madrasah education.
The sources said that President Zardari maintained that after the passage of 18th Constitutional Amendment, the Education Ministry has been dissolved to the provinces and the registration of religious seminaries is the domain of provincial governments and not of the federal government.
According to the sources, madrasahs are under the Ministry of Education of the provinces, their registration is a provincial matter, and Islamabad also already has two laws for registration of madrasahs. Therefore, the bill could not be signed as per law and the Constitution.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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