In a major development, the Ittehad Tanzimat Madaris Deenia (ITMD) – a federation of major madrassa watchdogs – has asked the government to issue a gazette notification for the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024 .
Addressing the press conference after a meeting of the ITMD supreme council on Monday, senior ITMD leaders pointed out that the bill was sent to the President’s House after receiving final approval and that objections raised by the Presidency became ineffective once the deadline had expired.
The controversy erupted two days ago when President Asif Ali Zardari expressed concerns that if the madrassa bill becomes law, the seminaries would be registered under the Companies Act, which which could lead to the imposition of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a Generalized System of Preferences Plus (GSP+) and other sanctions against the country.
The controversial madrassa bill, which has already been passed by both houses of parliament, has become a bone of contention between the JUI-F and the government. Its enactment was part of an agreement between the government and the religious and political party to support the 26th Amendment.
After being approved by Parliament, the bill now requires the president’s assent to become law, but President Asif Ali Zardari had returned the bill earlier this month, citing legal objections. According to the Constitution, the bill must be tabled in a joint session after the president refuses to sign it.
To fulfill this condition, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has sent a notice to President Asif Ali Zardari for holding a joint parliamentary session on December 17, parliamentary sources said. Geo News.
Earlier in the day, at a packed press conference, Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman noted that the bill was sent to the President House on the same day it was approved. He mentioned that the President had identified an error there on October 28, 2024, which the President of the National Assembly described as a “typo”. After making the correction, the speaker resubmitted the bill to the President, who raised additional objections, he added.
Muneeb said the Madaris Bill has become a law. He explained: “The bill acquired legal status because the President did not raise any objections within ten days. The objections raised by the President proved ineffective.”
He asked the government to immediately publish a notification in the Official Gazette as required by law.
Mufti Muneeb said the first objection was raised by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, who confirmed that the Madaris Bill had now become a law.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman noted that the bill was not controversial as it was approved by Parliament. He reiterated that the Supreme Council believes that the government should approve its resolution.
If a decision to the contrary is taken, the ITMD will reconvene, Mufti Muneeb said, issuing a subtle warning: “It does not benefit anyone to make the situation worse.” We aim to deliver a positive and constructive message.”
The government initially proposed the bill and the JUI-F revisited it during discussions on the 26th Amendment, Fazl noted.
“The bill first came from the government. We accepted it. We put it back on the table for discussion on the occasion of the 26th amendment,” Fazl noted.
He said: “It was the government that made changes to the bill. For us, there is currently no controversy regarding this bill.”
After the bill was approved, government ministers congratulated us, Fazl said, adding that after a month and a half, they now had many objections.
Among eight objections, President Zardari highlighted a potential conflict of interest arising from the registration process and expressed concerns over potential negative consequences for Pakistan’s international standing and internal stability.
According to the objections, the registration of religious seminaries under the law would lead to the spread of sectarianism and the establishment of many seminaries in one society would lead to the deterioration of the law and order situation.
The invoice
The much-discussed legislation is an amended version of the Societies Registration Act, 1860, which emphasized the registration of existing madrassas (Islamic seminaries) “within six months” of its enactment.
He also said that a Deeni Madrassa established after the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024 comes into force, will have to get registered “within one year of its establishment”.
A seminary with more than one campus will only need one registration, it is specified.
Thereafter, each madrassa would be required to submit its annual report on its educational activities and audit report to a registrar.
Under the Act, a Deeni Madrassa was defined as a religious institution established or operated primarily for imparting religious education, which provides boarding and accommodation services.