Punjab govt takes charge of Bahawalpur seminary, mosque

ISLAMABAD:The Punjab government has taken over the administrative charge of Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah and Madrissa Al-Sabir in Bahawalpur while expediting implementation of the National Action Plan.

The decision has been made in line with the National Security Committee meeting held Thursday, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior said.

He said the Indian media was associating Jamia Masjid Subhan Allah and Madressa Al-Sabir with the training centres of Jaesh-e-Mohammad (JEM), adding while they are purely a Jamia Masjid and a seminary where hundreds of orphans and students of humble background were getting religious and formal education.

The spokesperson said that Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur Shozaib Saeed and Superintendent of Police Saleem Niazi thoroughly visited the campus. During the surprise visit, the government team comprehensively observed the compound and facilities available for the students.

Over 650 students are studying at the Madressa Al-Sabir while 65 faculty members are residing there. The madressa offers formal education till grade 6, secondary & intermediate education, Dars-e-Nizami based graduation and masters education programmes are also available, he stated.

He said a large number of people of Bahawalpur are supporting the seminary through charity and donations. They are also providing free of charge rice and other food stuff to feed the destitute students and the faculty at the campus.

The monthly monitoring of the mosque, the madressa and other the madressas were conducted regularly by special branch, counter terrorism department (CTD) and other law enforcement agencies, he said.