LAHORE: The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has sought “immediate approval” of the
Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024, related to the registration of madrassas, warning
the government of a “long march” if it fails to fulfil the demand.
Speaking to journalists in Lahore on Friday, JUI-F Secretary-General Abdul Ghafoor Haideri
expressed concern over the government’s “ill intentions” to delay the approval of the madrassa
registration bill.
He emphasised that while the JUI-F does not wish for confrontation, they would be compelled to
act if their demands were ignored. He urged the government to ensure immediate approval to
prevent further unrest.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and JUI-F Emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman held a
telephonic conversation, said the party.
Fazl expressed his concerns regarding the madrassa registration bill to the prime minister,
according to the JUI-F spokesperson. The premier, in response, assured him of addressing all
concerns related to the bill.
He emphasised that the government should avoid turning the “consensus bill” into a controversial
matter. He further asserted that no compromise would be allowed on the independence and
freedom of madrassas.
The Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024, had been passed by the National Assembly
and Senate in October and its enactment was part of an agreement between the government and
the religio-political party in support of the 26th Amendment.
This warning came two days after Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
met Maulana Fazl at the latter’s residence in Islamabad in which the latter expressed concerns
over the president not signing the seminaries’ registration bill.
The JUI-F chief had maintained that despite approval of the bill from both houses of parliament, it
was still not signed by President Asif Ali Zardari.
In response, Bilawal had reassured the cleric that he would take up the issue of madrassa
registration bill signing issue with the government.
Meanwhile, another JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah questioned the government’s reluctance in the
signing of the act, saying that the PPP and Bilawal were on board until the passage of the bill was
passed.
He suggested that Bilawal should talk to his father and play his role as the issue concerns the
supremacy of the parliament, warning that Fazl would be forced to take action.
It should be noted that Fazl had earlier said the party would announce a future course of action in
Peshawar on December 8 if the government failed to sign the legislation by December 7.
