PESHAWAR, Aug 17: The governor has issued the NWFP Societies Registration (Amendment) Ordinance, 2005, making the madressahs’ registration with the provincial government compulsory.

The ordinance was promulgated under Article 128 of the Constitution amid reservations by the provincial religious minister. The constitutional life of the ordinance is three months.

Governor Khalilur Rehman on Wednesday signed the ordinance under which a new section “Registration of Deeni Madaris” had been added to the Societies Registration Act, 1860, said a handout.

However, NWFP Religious Affairs Minister Maulana Amanullah Haqani said that the MMA-led government would carefully study the ordinance whether it would affect the freedom of seminaries or not.

“The cabinet will soon deliberate on the new section,” Maulana Haqani said, adding that the federal government did not seek opinion from the NWFP government before making amendment to the act.

Under the amendment, it has been made compulsory that all madressahs by whatsoever name called shall not be established or operate in the province without being registered under this act and shall be subject to the provisions of this act in addition to what is provided in its existing relevant sections.

Further, every maddressah shall submit its annual report of activities and performance to the registrar. Similarly, every maddressah shall also have to maintain accounts of its actual expenses and receipts and the respective madressah shall also carry out audit of its accounts by an auditor and submit the audited accounts to the registrar.

It also has been made compulsory that no maddressah shall teach or publish any literature which promotes militancy or spreads sectarian or religious hatred, said the amendment.

Under the previous Societies Registration Act, 1860 there was no provision that seminaries would submit annual performance report and audited accounts to the registrar.