It is about time those in authority realised the gravity of the situation, and did something to address the threat violent extremists pose to this society. There has been a lot of talk on the subject but not much headway. Sectarian seminaries, funded both by certain Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as local donors, continue to serve as nurseries for sectarian terrorists.
Government and opinion leaders concur on that the affairs of Maddrassah need to be regulated through financial audit and checks to ensure the curriculum contents, aside from giving students a good grounding in theology, aim at mainstreaming of the students. And that they must also be free from sectarian hatred.
Practical steps in that direction have been half-hearted at best. The Musharraf government tried to introduce some reforms, including financial audit, only to backtrack in the face of fierce resistance which, unsurprisingly, was the strongest on the issue of financial audit. Clearly, confronting the menace is easier said than done, but it has to be done for the sake of peace and progress of this society. Last but not least. Interior minister Rahman Malik is no solution to problem; he is in fact part of problem.