MUZAFFARABAD, Dec 28: The federal government has sought information on the number of foreign students in the seminaries of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, it was learnt here on Tuesday.

"The federal interior ministry under the directive of the prime minister's secretariat has asked us to provide details on the number of students who have studied or who are studying in the religious schools in Azad Kashmir since Dec 2001," an official told Dawn.

The information was to be provided by Wednesday to the interior ministry from where it would be forwarded to the prime minister's secretariat, he added. According to official record, there are 249 religious schools in the seven AJK districts.

Separately, the official said, the federal government had also asked the AJK government to provide information that how many of these seminaries were registered and which school of thought they were affiliated with.