Ebad assures scholars he will take up seminaries issue with Centre

Karachi
The Sindh governor assured a delegation of religious scholars on Friday that he would take up with the federal government their concerns about the policy on madrassas in the wake of the recently adopted National Action Plan for countering terrorism.
A 10-member delegation of the Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia led by its general secretary Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhari met Dr Ishratul Ebad at the Governor’s House and expressed fear that certain federal and provincial agencies could pose problems for registered seminaries under the garb of certain provisions of the plan.
The governor said the government would fix any ambiguity in the action plan, if found, on the functioning of madrassas.
He added that he would approach the federal government for conveying the concerns of religious scholars and caretakers of seminaries.
“Seminaries have been fulfilling a major national obligation of promoting Islamic teachings and also been engaged in the provision of educational and academic services on a large scale,” Ebad said.
“Religious seminaries are like nurseries of Islam where its true teachings are imparted to the pupils, enabling them to become a responsible and bona-fide citizens of the society,” he added.
“It is good sign that a large number of graduates from seminaries are becoming associated with general universities, thus becoming merged with the system of mainstream education and performing teaching services there.”
The governor said the entire nation was united on a single platform for waging a joint struggle against terrorism especially after the tragic attack on the Army Public School Peshawar.
The delegation told the governor that the Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia had been fully cooperating with the government and a uniform system should be proposed for the collection of particulars of seminaries and their students.
Jalandhari said the federal and provincial authorities after due consultation with the stakeholders should devolve a mutually acceptable mechanism for the collection of information and particulars of seminaries.
“Majority of religious seminaries in the country are either fully registered or their application for registration is under process.
The government should avoid further delaying the registration of the seminaries which have applied for it as per prescribed procedure and criteria,” he said.
Jalandhari added that seminaries were serving the cause of religion and as such, their services should not be turned controversial. “Madrassas were founded in accordance with constitution and have been functioning in accordance with the law,” he added.
“The seminaries affiliated with the Wafaq-ul-Madaris Al-Arabia have condemned the terrorist attack in Peshawar and fully against the concept of terrorism considering it against the fundamental spirit and teachings of Islam.”