ISLAMABAD/SWABI: Maulana Fazlur Rehman stated on Friday that JUI-F has not yet made the decision to begin a protracted march on Islamabad, despite warnings from his party leaders to protest the delays in the presidential assent to the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act 2024, which concerns seminaries.
The declaration was made just hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised the leader of the JUI-F that the government will accelerate the ratification of the madressah law during a phone call.
Maulana Fazl had previously threatened to reveal his next move at a gathering in Peshawar on Sunday if the bill was not passed into law by December 7.
When he visited Swabi and offered fateha for the late Maulana Khalil Ahmad Mukhlis, a former MNA and leader of the JUI-Nazriati, he spoke to the media. According to the JUI-F chief, a draft of the madressah bill had been drafted and an agreement reached before to the general election.
“When we returned back to talking, we had five hours of normal negotiations with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in attendance. Consensus was reached on everything. “So, where are these objections now coming from?” he asked.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s refusal to adopt the law and made a suggestion that he would take aggressive measures to address the problems surrounding the madressah bill. The coalition government’s delaying tactics were criticized by Maulana Fazl, who pointed out that the bill had previously passed parliament but had not yet been signed into law, a delay he strongly objected to.
In answer to a query, Maulana Fazl stated that the JUI-F had explicitly stated that there should be no misunderstandings about the madressah law because of the prior agreement reached with the government. “We find the federal government’s delaying tactics over the passage of the Madressah bill intolerable. As quickly as possible, we would like its approval.
He went on to say that the measure, which aims to control the nation’s religious organizations, was first approved by the ruling coalition government but is currently postponing its passage, which he described as a regrettable event. He said, “The government is intentionally pushing the populace toward protests.”
Maulana Fazl did not provide any further details when questioned about possible changes in the nation, but he stated that the JUI-F will not be involved.
Speaking on the worsening state of law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he claimed that the government’s inability to maintain security was causing a number of issues for the populace.
He also questioned the KP governor’s role. “Given his lack of authority, why did the governor have to hold a meeting [multi-party conference]? He claimed that the governor’s rule is not a long-term fix for the current state of affairs and that the governor is not in a position to bring all parties together on a single platform.
PM’s guarantee
PM Sharif promised Maulana Fazl over the phone earlier in the day that the government will fix the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act’s shortcomings. Additionally, the prime minister promised the head of the JUI-F that the law would be enacted as soon as possible.
Aslam Ghauri, a spokesman for the JUI-F, told the media that Mr. Rehman expressed the religious seminaries’ worries about the bill’s reservations expressed by President Asif Ali Zardari.
“The government should refrain from making this agreed bill controversial,” the PM was told. We will not let any harm to the freedom and autonomy of religious seminaries because we have a principled position,” he continued.
According to JUI-F sources, the prime minister promised them that the measure pertaining to madressah registration would be approved during the upcoming joint session of parliament on December 13.
Before traveling to the United Arab Emirates, President Zardari sent the bill back to the National Assembly on October 29 with some complaints.
On October 20, the Senate passed the bill including the 26th amendment. On October 22, it was sent to the president after passing the National Assembly on October 21.
The Constitution’s Article 75, which reads, “The President shall give his assent within 10 days, failing which such assent shall be deemed to have been given,” was disregarded by JUI-F lawmakers.
It’s interesting to note that neither JUI-F nor the PPP’s top leadership had kept tabs on the bill’s development.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari promised Maulana Fazl during a meeting on December 4 that he would talk to the president to make sure the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act was passed in the next few days.
As it existed before 2019, the modified statute relates to seminary registration by the appropriate deputy commissioner office.
After careful consideration and with the administration of the seminaries’ approval, the PTI-led government moved the registration of madrasas to the appropriate education ministries the same year.
Sources claim that the Presidency’s main criticism of the law was that seminaries are educational establishments and that “education” is a matter for the provinces. Only laws pertaining to the federal capital may be passed by the federal government.
The 18th Amendment states that the federal government can only enact laws pertaining to devolved topics with the approval of at least two provincial assemblies.
