Registration process of seminaries: government's discriminatory attitude blamed for delay

The government is yet to start registration of seminaries across the country, it was learnt. Sources told Business Recorder that immediate registration of seminaries was a significant component of the National Action Plan and the delay is a reflection of the slow down in the implementation process.
There are thousands of unregistered seminaries across the country but the process has yet to be initiated because of what some sources claim is a delay in developing a consensus between the government and the boards of seminaries. When contacted Wafaqul Madaris Alarbia Nazim-e-Aala's Qari Hanif Jalandhri said that the seminaries have no objection to the registration process but no consensus has been reached so far on the items in a registration form.
To a question, he said that the seminaries have no objection to the registration process but it should not only be focused on the seminaries. "The government is only focusing on registration of the seminaries while there are thousands of private educational institutions that should also be registered", he said, adding that the 'discriminatory' attitude of the government towards the seminaries is unjustified. He said that on January 20, the government notified a committee headed by Secretary, Ministry of Religious Affairs with representation of all boards of seminaries to resolve the matter of registration process. However, he said that no meeting has so far been convened by the government to discuss the issue.
Executive Director Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) Amir Rana, who was also member of Expert Committee on National Action Plan, said that the committee had suggested the completion of the process of registration of seminaries within one month but later the deadline was extended to two months.
The government had planned to provide financial support to seminaries and to introduce basic mainstream education to students of seminaries. According to the sources, the plan was accepted by all five Madarasa boards belonging to four major sects in the country- Barelvi, Shia, Deobandi, Ahle Hadith and the fifth board conducting exams of Madaris affiliated with Jamaat-i-Islami. They said that the government also plans to launch a pilot project where 100 selected seminaries would impart subjects of mainstream/formal education up to class five.
Mohammad Akhtar Mohammdi of Markazi Jamiat-e-Ahle Hadees who heads Jamia Sout-ul-Quran Wasuna, while talking to Business Recorder said that they had no issue with the registration process, adding seminaries are providing free of cost education and their only source of income is donations.