Seminary Bill: Tarar terms President’s objections 'constitutional, legal'

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar on Saturday said the objections raised by President Asif Ali Zardari on the seminaries’ registration bill are completely “constitutional and legal”, ARY News reported.

“In these objections, there is no mention of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), nor they have any connection with it,” said the minister in a post on X formerly Twitter.

He said it is not in the interest of anyone to politicize the constitutional and legal matters. “Linking the registration of seminaries with FATF is nothing but a creation of complete imagination and speculation”, he said.

The Constitution elaborated the complete procedure for legislation, he said, adding the President objected in accordance with the Constitution and the Parliament would also rectify it in the same spirit.

The purpose of these speculations is to target the powers of the President and Parliament, he said, while urging the people not to criticize the issue just for the sake of criticism.

The statement came after the objections raised by President Asif Ali Zardari on the JUI-F’s Seminary Registration Bill surfaced.

As per details, the president’s concerns revolve around the bill’s potential to create conflicts and undermine the existing laws governing seminaries.

One of the primary concerns raised by the President is the contradiction in the definition of a seminary within the bill’s various clauses. He also pointed out that the Madrassa Education Board Ordinance 2001 already exists, making new legislation unnecessary.

In response to President Zardari’s concerns, the government has initiated deliberations to address the issues raised. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is reportedly working to find a middle ground to resolve the controversy surrounding the bill.

It is important to mention here that the passage of the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was one of the conditions set by the JUI-F to support the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

The parliament had passed the bill which was sent to President Asif Ali Zardari for his assent but he returned the bill to the National Assembly citing concerns.

“Deeni Madaris play a pivotal role in imparting religious education to every Muslim. At the same time, such Deeni Madaris are required to register under an enactment to check their activities in appropriate manner.

However, certain serious issues have been noticed in registration of Deeni Madaris in the absence of proper legislation. Therefore, it is expedient to provide for registration of the Deeni Madaris under the umbrella of an enactment,” the statement of objects and reasons of the bill read.