ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday held a meeting with Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman regarding the stalemate surrounding the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024 which deals with the registration of madrasas (seminaries).
During the meeting, the prime minister directed the Ministry of Law and Justice to amicably resolve the issue of madaris registration swiftly as per the constitution and law.
Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Senator Kamran Murtaza, and senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Qamar Zaman Kaira also attended the meeting.
Apart from that, Speaker NA Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, SAPM Rana Sanaullah, and Attorney General Mansoor Usman were also present.
Following the meeting with the premier, Maulana Fazl expressed optimism regarding the resolution of the Madrasa registration bill issue, stating that a positive response was given to our position during the meeting. “Hopefully, practical steps in accordance with the constitution will be taken as per our demands,” the JUI-F chief told reports.
The controversy surrounds the madrassa Bill which amends the existing procedure for registration of madrassas with the education ministry. The bill proposed that the religious institutions should be affiliated with the industries ministry instead.
The bill has already been passed by both houses of parliament but has become a bone of contention between the govt and JUI-F after President Asif Ali Zardari returned the bill citing legal objections.
Fazl previously said that the enactment of the aforementioned bill was part of an agreement between the government and the religio-political party to support the 26th Constitutional Amendment.
