Fazlur Rehman Refuses To Negotiate With Govt on Madrasa Bill
Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that we do not accept any proposal from the government on the Madrasa Bill. If they give us any amendment, then we are not ready to accept it, let alone accept their proposal, let alone accept their draft.
While holding a press conference in Char Sadda, he said that Nawaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, the Senate, and the National Assembly all agreed on the Madrasa Bill. The bill was presented in the Senate.
The Assembly passed the bill but the President signed it. If the President can sign other bills, why did he send this Madrasa Bill back with objections?
He said that today we have raised a new issue that madrassas were previously affiliated with the Ministry of Education. I want to tell you that in this madrassa bill, we have given complete freedom to all madrassas to affiliate with any federal institution if they want, whether it is under the 1860 Act or the Ministry of Education. We have no objection. Every madrassa is independent, so what is the objection?
He said that scholars are being brought against scholars. There is no difference in madrassas. All scholars and madrassas are in agreement on the Madrasa Bill.
Do not raise new issues. A conspiracy is being hatched to divide the scholars. Today we were going to make a final announcement that Mufti Taqi Usmani and the President of the Federation of Madrasas have informed us that they have called an important meeting on December 17. We are withholding our decision and announcement until this meeting. After this meeting, decisions will be taken unanimously.
To a question, he said that the government should not make this issue a political arena. We are discussing the law while they want to bring madrasas under an executive order. While they are trying to regularize madrasas under the law, they want to maintain the freedom and autonomy of madrasas in their place.
When we registered under the Ministry of Education and obeyed them, they imposed a directorate on us through an executive order, meaning they wanted to subordinate us while madrasas were not ready to be subordinate to them.
To another question, he said that even Pakistani intelligence agencies were in agreement on the madrasas bill. All matters were settled with their consensus. Although they are not visible, they are present and in touch. Our question is, what happened now when everything was settled with consensus? This is the malice.
He said that we have won, the parliament has passed this bill, we want to consolidate what has been decided, and we have not accepted any proposal from the government till now. If they gave us something to amend, then we would not accept their proposal, let alone accept their draft. We are not ready to even hold it with a pincer.
