IGP Sukhera says action being taken against madrassas spreading hate speech
In contradiction to a previous statement, Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mushtaq Sukhera on Wednesday said that 147 madrassas in the province are receiving foreign funds.
Sukhera informed the Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges (SSCRPP) that there were in fact nearly 150 madrassas that were receiving funds from foreign countries. He also told members of the committee that law enforcement agencies, including the Punjab Police, are taking action against all those involved in spreading hate speech, following the directives of the federal government under the National Action Plan (NAP).
The committee meeting was chaired by Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi.
In response to a question by PPP Senator Syeda Sughra Imam, IGP Sukhera had told the Senate through a written reply on January 30 that not a single madrassa is receiving foreign funding in Punjab. These revelations were startling in their own right and many senators were astonished to learn that no seminaries in Punjab were receiving funding from foreign sources.
The IG was quoted saying, “The requisite report may be treated as nil. No madrassa involved in receiving financial and training assistance from Islamic countries has come to our notice during surveillance carried out by field formations.”
However, during proceedings Minister for the Interior Balighur Rehman failed to convince the opposition benches due to the contradiction of the federal government and provincial government regarding foreign funding of Punjab seminaries.
Later, Senate Deputy Chairman Sabir Baloch referred the matter to the SSCRPP as the IGP Punjab had breached the privilege of the Senate. The Senate then summoned IGP Sukhera to furnish a detailed report on funding of Punjab seminaries.
The IGP on Wednesday informed the Senate Standing Committee that the home department is registering all unregistered seminaries in the province with the support of the main leadership of the concerned seminaries.
“The law enforcement agencies also sealed a seminary affiliated with the Lal Masjid in the Rojhan Jamali area of district Dera Ghazi Khan as the management of the seminary was involved in spreading hate material,” the IGP added.
Sukhera told the committee members that that the police are carrying out surveillance of the seminaries across the province due to the ongoing situation of the law and order in the country.
Members of the committee asked the IGP Punjab to implement the directives of the federal government by following the NAP recommendations regarding the registration and funding of the seminaries in the province.