Fazl Claims Madrassa Registration Bill ‘Has Become Law’
Fazl emphasized that the bill has been passed and should now be considered law.
DI KHAN: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has called on the government to officially notify the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill 2024 as law, claiming that it has already become an Act of Parliament after the president returned it twice without granting assent. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Fazl questioned the president’s role in withholding approval and argued that, according to the Constitution, a bill not signed within 10 days automatically becomes law.
The bill, which has already passed both houses of Parliament, aims to amend the registration procedure for madrassas, transferring their affiliation from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Industries. While the legislation was part of a broader agreement between the JUI-F and the government to support the 26th Amendment, President Asif Ali Zardari had earlier raised legal objections, returning the bill. Under Article 75(2) of the Constitution, once returned, the bill must be reconsidered by a joint sitting of Parliament, and if passed again, it must be signed by the president within 10 days or automatically become law.
Fazl emphasized that the bill has been passed and should now be considered law, citing a past instance when a bill was enacted after the president failed to sign it within the prescribed time frame. He also criticized the government for not objecting when the bill was originally presented in Parliament, accusing them of a “non-serious attitude” towards important national issues.
The amended bill requires all madrassas to register within six months of its enactment and outlines strict reporting requirements, including the submission of annual educational and audit reports. It also clarifies that madrassas with multiple campuses will only need one registration.
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Fazl urged the government to issue the notification without delay and vowed to approach the courts if necessary, asserting that the madrassa registration bill was a key part of the agreement between JUI-F and the government.
He further expressed concerns about the government’s failure to implement previous agreements, particularly regarding the opening of bank accounts for madrassas, as promised in the agreement.
Earlier this week, a conference on madrassa registration passed a resolution urging the government to maintain the existing system of religious schools and opposed the abolition of the directorate overseeing them. The conference also demanded that madrassas remain affiliated with the Ministry of Education, rejecting changes proposed under the new legislation.
