A delegation of Ittehad-e-Tanzeemat-e-Madaris (ITM), led by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and held a discussion with him on the affairs of Madaris, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Wednesday.
The heads of five Madaris boards were part of the delegation. They included Mufti Taqi Usmani, Mufti Muneebur Rehman, Sajid Mir and others.
The delegation briefed the prime minister about the issues related to the Madaris boards.
The issues related to the registration of Madaris and the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) were also discussed during the meeting.
The prime minister had organised a lavish dinner for the delegation members.
Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that Madaris were an important means of promoting Islamic teachings.
“Madaris can be called a big network of Pakistani and Islamic NGOs. Four to five million children are studying in Madaris in the country,” he added.
“It is the desire of the government to lend a hand in this social service,” he pointed out.
The prime minister also said that the government would extend every kind of help to Madaris for providing education, adding that Madaris always protected the interests of Pakistan.
Shehbaz Sharif said the government would extend its maximum support to the seminaries to help them impart education in accordance with modern-day needs. He also assured them for providing maximum administrative autonomy to the seminaries and easing their registration process.
Lauding the services of the seminaries for religious education, he said that around five million students were studying there free of charge. The seminaries also teach the students to memorise the Holy Quran besides playing their active role to protect Pakistan’s interests.
He said half of the students enrolled in seminaries were girls and thousands of them were orphans. The students were also getting free books and education at the seminaries.
Calling the seminaries Islamic or Pakistani NGOs, the prime minister said the government desired to extend its support to them in their social services.
He also expressed condolence over the death of renowned religious scholar Mufti Rafi Usmani and said that not only Pakistan, but the whole Muslim world recognised his services to the religion.
The meeting was attended by President of Jamiat Ulema Islam-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maulana Mufti Taqi Usmani, Maulana Muhamamd Hanif Jalandhri, Mufti Munibur Rehman, Sahibzada Abdul Mustafa Hazarvi, Senator Professor Sajid Mir, Maulana Abdul Malik, Maulana Afzal Haidri, Maulana Abdul Kabir Azad and Maulana Fazal Rahim.
Federal Ministers Rana Tanvir Hussain, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Rana Sanaullah Khan, Mufti Abdul Shakoor, Special Assistant to PM Syed Fahad Hussain and senior officers were also present.
Reporter: Awais Kiyani