Maulana Fazl made Wifaqul Madaris patron-in-chief

KARACHI: As part of its efforts to resist the government's policies to “take control over the madaris” and form new madrassa boards, Wifaqul Madaris Al-Arabia (WMA) on Wednesday announced that Jamiat Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will be the body’s patron-in-chief. The announcement was made after consultation of the President Maulana Taqi Usmani and Secretary General Maulana Hanif Jalandari.

Fazlur Rehman, who is also principle of Jamia Maaraf-ul Sharia, Dera Ismail Khan, is one among the five prominent religious personalities who has been named to serve as a patrons-in-chief for a term of five years, said a WMA press release on Wednesdays. Other personalities included: Darul Uloom Karachi President and Mufti Azam Maulana Rafi Usmani, Jamia Ashrafia Lahore’s Principal Maulana Hafiz Fazal Rahim, Jamia Islamia Darul Uloom Rahimia Quetta’s Principal Maulana Abdul Sattar, and Jamia Zikria Darul Eman Karbogha Sharif’s Principal Maulana Mukhtar Uddin Shah.

Jamia Haqqania Akora Khattak’s Maulana Anwarul Haq, Jamia Farooqia Karachi’s Maulana Ubaidullah Khalid, Jamia Al-Uloom Binori Town’s Maulana Syed Suleman Nidvi and Darul Uloom Taleemul Quran Azad Jammu Kashmir’s Maulana Saeed Yousaf have also been made vice-presidents.

Sources within the WMA told The News that the recent appointment of prominent personalities on key positions of the religious board is a part of the efforts to resist the government's policies to pressure the seminaries, create problems for them in registration and opening bank accounts and establishing new boards to weaken already existing boards.

The WMA made the announcement after a few days of federal government’s approval of the notification of Major General (R) Dr Ghulam Qamar’s appointment as the Director General of Religious Education in the Madrassa Directorate under the Federal Ministry of Education and Vocational Affairs.