DI KHAN: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has urged the incumbent government to notify the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024, which deals with the registration of seminaries, as the “bill has become an Act of parliament after the president returned it twice”.
“If a bill is not given assent within 10 days, doesn’t it automatically become an act,” the JUI-F chief asked while addressing a press conference on Thursday.
Fazl asked whether the president can return a bill twice with objections. “Acting Senate Chairman returned the bill to president after signing on the first objection,” he said, claiming that the now bill is deemed as law.
He also cited the incident when former president Arif Alvi refused to sign a bill and the government still notified it after completion of 10 days.
“We believe the act has been passed and a notification in this regard should be issued.”he said.
The JUI-F chief also vowed to move court if the government was unwilling to pass the bill, asking why the ruling parties did not object to the bill when it was tabled in the parliament.
Fazl also lambasted the government and the institutions for their “non-serious attitude” towards significant issues, saying that they were “ridiculing” the Constitution, law and his party.
He pointed out that the draft was chalked out by the Ministry of Law — which he said JUI-F accepted despite reservation, asking what “scope of objection” President Zardari has on this legislation.
Referring to the recently-held Ulema conference, he told the religious scholars that those who “incited you are the ones responsible for the madrassa bill issue”.
He further said that the agreement, reached between the government and the JUI-F, states that bank accounts of all madrassas should be opened. “Tell us, has the account of any seminary of the Wifaq Ul Madaris opened?”
