Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Sunday directed the Interior Minister to hold meeting with the representatives of Wafaq-Ul-Madaaris Al-Arabia to decide a uniform curriculum for all religious institutions in the country. The Prime Minister was talking to an 18-member delegation of Wafaq Ul Madaaris Al-Arabia, which was led by Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhary.
Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance and brotherhood, but a few perverted elements, working on foreign agenda, have tried to malign its good name.
He said extremists were neither sincere to Islam nor to the country or any other institution, rather they were hired by foreign elements to carry out foreign agenda. He sought fullest co-operation of all religious circles and institutions across the country. The Prime Minister reiterated that the government was pursuing a three-D policy - Defence, Dialogue and Development.
He said that like any institution, it is also responsibility of Madaaris to work and support the campaign for eradication of extremism and terrorism in the society.
Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that Madaaris should also impart information technology training and education to the students so that they could earn livelihood.
He said education was the only way forward for progress and prosperity of the country. He assured full support to Madaaris for resolving their problems. "Ulema and Mashaikh should come forward to dispel the wrong impression about Madaaris", he added. Qari Hanif Jalandhary on this occasion said that Wafaq Ul Madaaris Al-Arabia was the oldest and largest organisation of religious institutions. He said that 14,500 institutions were imparting education in the country and more than 200,000 students would appear in the examination this year.
Qari Hanif said that the PM himself belonged to a religious family and is in a good position to understand the working and problems of religious institutions.
He suggested that there was a need to streamline religious and secular education in the country.
He said that new legislation was required on Madaaris to bring these into the mainstream. He assured that all Madaaris would support the government in its campaign against terrorism.
He also requested the Prime Minister that Madaaris degrees should be recognised so that Madaaris students could find jobs in the country. Qari Hanif Jhalandari said that there should be no restrictions on the admission and arrival of foreign students who possess the NOC and other valid documents. Security agencies should avoid to conduct raids on the religious seminaries as per agreements signed between the wafaq-ul-Madaris Alrabia and the government. Security agencies should approach to the Wafaqa-ul-Madaris if security agencies had any solid proof against any student, teacher or Madarsah.
Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani said that PPP-led government was using all resources for the welfare of the people and development of the country. Addressing a gathering of notables at the Circuit House here, the Prime Minister said that the PPP-led government served the people from Karachi to Khyber and had provided equal funds for development to all MNAs whether they were political rivals or allies of the government. Moreover, Gilani said, the government also provided funds to minority MNAs besides senators. No political prisoner remained confined to jails during the tenure of PPP-led government, Gilani said.