Govt to lift ‘undeclared ban’ on madaris over bank accounts

ISLAMABAD: The federal government Friday decided to lift the undeclared ban on madaris for opening bank accounts in addition to addressing other reservations expressed by a delegation of the Ittehad-e-Tanzeem-ul-Madaris Pakistan (ITMP), sources said.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the delegation informed him about the problems confronting the madaris in the country. Upon hearing their concerns, the premier assured cooperation in making the registration process of seminaries easier and also ensured modern requirements in the provision of madaris education.

The sources also said that the government has accepted the demands of the delegation based on which the government has agreed to amend the law for the registration of seminaries.

Under the proposed amendment, Section 21 will be added to the Registration Act. As a result of the amendment, deputy commissioners will be able to process the registration of madaris in their respective districts.

PM Shehbaz also directed the Ministry of Law to prepare the legal draft soon. Powerful institutions have also been taken into confidence with regard to the registration of madaris.

The delegation, according to the sources, included Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maulana Haneef Jalandhari, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Sahibzada Abdul Mustafa Hazarvi, Professor Sajid Mir, Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad, Maulana Fazal Rahim Ashrafi and other scholars.