Monday, December 30, 2024
Islamabad (UrduPoint News International/ Pakistan Point News - 30th December, 2024 ) The controversial issue of registration of religious schools was resolved on Sunday when President Asif Ali Zardari approved the Societies Registration Act 2024. With the President’s signature, the bill for registration of religious schools became law.
On the advice of the Prime Minister, the President approved the summary of the bill and the Gazette Notification of the Societies Registration Amendment Act 2024 was also issued.
Why is the issue of registration of religious schools controversial in Pakistan?
According to the National Assembly spokesperson, the Societies Registration Amendment Act bill was passed by the Senate on October 20 and the National Assembly on October 21. Which has now become a law with the President’s signature.
The spokesperson said that under the law, registration of schools will be done in accordance with the Societies Act and the matter has been resolved through mutual understanding.
Earlier, the federal cabinet on Friday approved amendments to the Societies Registration Act 1860, deciding that the act will first be passed as it is and then the President will issue an ordinance to amend the act, which will allow madrassas to register themselves under the Societies Registration or the Ministry of Education.
Madrassas allowed to register with the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Industries
The cabinet approved amendments to the process of registering madrassas based on the recommendations of the Ministry of Law and Justice, resolving the dispute between the PML-N government and the opposition party JUI-F over the bill recently passed by parliament, although President Asif Ali Zardari had earlier returned it.
Registration of religious madrassas, both agreement and reservations
A few days ago, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Maulana Fazlur Rehman on the issue of registration of religious madrassas and assured him of full cooperation.
On Saturday, President Zardari was met by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUIF) Sindh General Secretary Maulana Rashid Soomro in Larkana.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was also present there. In which, apart from the political situation, detailed discussions were held between the PPP and JUI-F Sindh leaders on the Madrasa Registration Bill. Zardari had promised to remove Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s reservations on the Madrasa Bill and resolve the issue as soon as possible.
According to the Societies Registration Amendment Ordinance issued by the President, which is applicable only to the jurisdiction of Islamabad, madrasas will have the option to register either with the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Industries.
Notification welcomed
Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, while reacting to the President of Pakistan signing the Society Registration Act 2024, said that after the Presidential Ordinance on Madrasa Registration, the issue was resolved and the dispute ended. He said that the government did not interfere in the freedom and autonomy of madrasas.
Why is the number of illegal madrassas increasing in Islamabad?
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F (JUIF) has expressed satisfaction over the gazette notification and said that the party leadership will ensure the protection of the autonomy and independence of religious madrassas. JUIF spokesperson Aslam Ghori said in a statement that “we will not compromise on the autonomy of religious madrassas and will face every challenge for this purpose.”
He said that religious madrassas are not only the fortresses of Islam but also the guardians of the ideological borders of the country. And it is our duty to recognize this reality and importance of madrassas.
The JUIF spokesperson termed the issuance of the gazette notification as a major achievement of unity between the country’s scholars and religious madrassas.
What is the religious madrassa registration law?
The Religious Schools Registration Bill amends Section 21 of the Societies Act of 1860 and adds a new provision called ‘Registration of Religious Schools’, which states that any religious school, by whatever name it may be called, will be required to be registered and without registration, the school will be closed.
‘Registration of schools’ still a dream
According to the new law, schools established before the implementation of this Amendment Act 2024, which are not registered, will have to get themselves registered within six months. While schools established after the implementation of the bill have been given one year to register.
It states that schools will have to submit a report of their annual educational activities to the Registrar and will also have to get their financial records/accounts audited by an auditor.
It will not allow any religious seminary to teach or publish a curriculum that 'promotes religious hatred, militancy or sectarianism'.
Comments
Post a Comment