Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that madrassas are not ready to work under the Ministry of Education.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Maulana Fazlur Rehman said there were religious madrassas all over the world, adding that his party did not want any conflict with the state, but they were being pushed towards registration of the seminaries.

The JUI-F chief said that legislation had also been enacted in 2004, and in 2019 they wanted to be given a system, which was just an executive agreement for the registration of madrassas. He added that legislation was made during the PDM government with consultation.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that when it came to the issue of approval of the 26th amendment, his party got the clauses reduced and all stakeholders agreed on the bill related to madrassas. "If the president can sign other legislation, then why not the madrassas bill?" he asked.

He said all madrassas had complete freedom to be affiliated with whichever department they wanted. He also alleged that madrassas were being pitted against each other and clerics against their peers. "Mufti Taqi Usmani has called a meeting on madrassas on December 17. We want to regularize the seminaries according to the law. They are linking madrassas to an act and an executive order," he claimed.

The Maulana further said that they were linking madrassas to the law. "We are talking about the law. We want to maintain the freedom and autonomy of madrassas. Under the Society Act, the Ministry of Industries did not mention running madrassas. When we agreed to the registration, they imposed a directorate under the executive order."

Earlier today, the government and JUI-F remained actively engaged in discussions regarding the registration of religious seminaries, as the government expressed willingness about a new draft for the registration process. Senator Kamran Murtaza of the JUI-F and the government's legal team played a key role in advancing these discussions.

Sources indicated that the government was considering various options to convince the Maulana, including honouring the 2019 agreement between the two sides. Other options under consideration involved registering madrassas either under the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Interior.

The government had expressed its readiness to cooperate on registration under the Ministry of Education, but new legislation could also provide an option under the DC and Ministry of Interior.