The Ittehad Tanzeemat-e-Madaris (ITM) on Wednesday urged the provincial governments to avoid any legislation that could curb the role of Islamic madrassa system, stating the ITM leadership was already in consultation with the federal government over the matter.
Talking to media in Lahore after holding a meeting with Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad in Karachi along with other ITP leaders, Wafaqul Madaris Al-Shia Vice-President Allama Qazi Niaz Hussain Naqvi said that the ITM would resist any government move to marginalise or isolate the role of seminaries since Islamic education was the basic need and pre-requisite of a Muslim society.
He also questioned as to how the people of Pakistan would permit any person or the government to play with the Islamic principles and abandon the madrassa – centres of Quran and Sunnah.
Naqvi said the Sindh government’s steps showed it wanted to shut down already-established madrassas and impose strict terms and conditions in such a way that no new madrassa would be allowed to open or operate.
“We are already in consultation with the federal government on the issue of madaris registration and things are going in the right direction. So, the Sindh government or any other province should avoid any legislation that curbs or disturbs establishment of madrassas,” Naqvi said, and urged the PPP leadership to intervene into the matter and ask the provincial assembly not to pass such a controversial legislation that might cause dire consequences.
Any anti-madrassa system legislation based on secularism and biased to Islam and the religious scholars would be resisted at all costs, Naqvi said as he exhorted Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah to wait for the federal government’s legislation
The ITM is an alliance of five madrassa boards of Ahle Sunnat, Shia, Deobandi, Ahle Hadith and Jamaat e Islami. It operates under the chairmanship of Mufti Muneebur Rehman.