NOWSHERA: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), has expressed concerns about the government’s stance towards religious seminaries in Pakistan.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that it has declared a “war” against these institutions. Speaking at an event in Nowshera, he emphasized that the primary concern of his party was to ensure the protection of religious seminaries and to avoid any conflict with the state. He criticized the establishment and the bureaucracy, stating that they were resistant to integrating religious seminaries into the mainstream educational system.
Fazl also pointed out that the government sought to associate terrorism with religious seminaries, which he strongly opposed. He reiterated that the JUI-F remains committed to protecting these institutions. Referring to previous efforts to pass a bill for the registration of seminaries under the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, he mentioned that although the bill was passed by both houses of parliament, it was not signed by then-President Asif Ali Zardari.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had assured Fazl over the phone that the grievances regarding the bill would be addressed. Fazl reiterated his concerns, cautioning the prime minister against engaging in any actions that could harm the reputation of religious seminaries.
