ISLAMABAD, Dec 28: The Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris (ITM) said on Wednesday that it would not meet a government deadline to expel foreign students from religious schools by the end of the year.

The organization, which represents about 12,000 madressahs from all over the country, said the order was a violation of human rights.

“We will not expel any (foreign) student,” Hanif Jallundhari, a central leader of the ITM, told a press conference here.

“It is unconstitutional, against Shariah and a human rights violation to expel any student seeking knowledge,” he said.

Mr Jallundhari said that about 60 per cent of the foreign students had already left Pakistan since July, but that the rest having valid travelling documents would not be expelled.

He said that the union had requested a meeting with President Gen Pervez Musharraf, but so far had not received a response from the government.—AFP