The Joint Platform of Seminaries in Pakistan has expressed astonishment and dismay over the statement by the ISPR spokesperson during a press conference, saying, “Fifty percent of the schools don’t know who is running them.”
In their joint statement, the leaders of the platform clarified, “Our schools are not floating in the air or hanging in space; they are established in cities and populated areas. Each school’s leadership is known, and the organization is well aware of underground realities. We were surprised and saddened to hear such a statement from the ISPR.”
Responding to the ISPR’s remarks, the leadership of the platform mentioned that seminaries and universities have never refused registration under the law; rather, registrations have been blocked by the government. They pointed out that a formula for registration was agreed upon with the previous government of the PML-N, and even though the draft law was approved, it was halted under whose directive?
“We are still committed to agreed-upon matters. If some responsible figures in the state wish to discuss further, we are ready for that too.”
“Since the country has been plagued by political turmoil, seminariess and universities have not created any issues for the government, nor have religious forces exploited this turmoil for their gain. We have always supported state actions against terrorism. We issued a unanimous fatwa under the banner of ‘Message of Pakistan,’ which is still documented today.”
“If there is such ignorance about religious schools and universities, then we can draw comparisons with other matters. Do our state’s responsible people not know Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, Mufti Muneeb ur Rehman, Maulana Qari Muhammad Hanif Jalandhari, Senator Professor Sajid Mir, Maulana Yasin Zafar, Maulana Abdul Malik, and Allama Riaz Hussain Najafi? These are the people who run the schools and are also responsible for the organizations of the schools.”
