Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl ur Rehman stated on Sunday that religious seminaries would not tolerate government interference.
He emphasized that seminaries must operate independently, saying, “Efforts to control seminaries have been made before by setting up a directorate. It was said that seminaries would be registered, and new seminaries would also be registered with cooperation.”
Rehman added, “There were claims of assisting seminaries by creating bank accounts, but no one can mislead us. The media should not be misused against religious seminaries.”
He pointed out that the law clearly stated that seminaries would remain independent, noting that 18,000 religious seminaries had been registered.
Referring to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) tenure, Rehman revealed that the government had prepared a draft addressing seminaries, but interference halted its progress. He named key figures in the PDM government, including Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Asif Ali Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif, and MQM-Pakistan, as being involved
Rehman expressed concerns about the 26th constitutional amendment, claiming it could have harmed the parliament and constitution if passed in its original form.
