Jamiat Ulema Islam-F (JUI-F) leader Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri issued a warning on Friday that the party will take further action if the Madrasah Registration Bill is not passed by the federal government by the deadline of December 8, Express News reported.
Haideri, who also serves as the General Secretary of JUI-F, stated that if the bill is not approved by the set date, the party will march towards Islamabad to protest.
He acknowledged the challenging situation the country is currently facing but stressed that religious leaders do not wish to escalate tensions by resorting to such measures.
He made it clear that the matter is not about JUI-F or the federation of madrasahs, but involves all religious school organisations across the country.
The bill, which pertains to the registration and regulation of madrassahs, was passed by the National Assembly but was sent back by President Asif Ali Zardari without approval.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has expressed dissatisfaction with President Zardari’s decision and criticised his lack of support for the bill.
In response to this, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a meeting with Rehman, but the matter remains unresolved and is currently at an impasse.
Earlier, JUI-F leader Hamdullah had also voiced concerns, claiming that President Zardari’s refusal to sign the bill had effectively declared a “war” on religious schools.
Several JUI-F leaders have now demanded that the bill should automatically become law after 10 days, in the absence of presidential approval, and have called on the government to issue a gazette notification confirming this.
