"Sanctity" of Seminaries

Daily Times, August 22, 2006
Ejaz and Javed slug it out before Musharraf

ISLAMABAD: At a meeting with President Generl Pervez Musharraf, Federal Religious Affairs Minister Ejazul Haq recommended that seminaries be upgraded to the federal board level, but the suggestion was opposed by Federal Education Minister Lt Gen (r) Javed Ashraf Qazi who wanted seminaries to prepare their syllabus in accordance with education boards’ procedures.

The meeting was held at the Presidential Camp Office on Monday, and was also attended by Religious Affairs Secretary Wakeel Ahmed Khan.

Ejaz and Javed told the president of their point of view about a better revision of the education syllabus.

Sources said that the president had directed the education and religious ministries to prepare a better syllabus and procedures for seminaries.

Musharraf promised that seminaries would be gradually brought into the national mainstream, allowing them to play their role in the country’s development.

The ‘sanctity’ of seminaries will be maintained and they will not be troubled, said the president. He expressed satisfaction over the process of seminaries’ registration, saying that the process would benefit seminaries.

The religious affairs secretary told the meeting that a total of 12,069 seminaries had been registered. He said that only around 1,000 seminaries had still to be registered, but their registration would be completed in a month or two. He recommended that seminary administrations and the ministry work together to prepare a new syllabus. online