ISLAMABAD: At least 41 seminaries are to remain closed in Islamabad during the March 23 military parade for security reasons, DawnNews reported.

The decision to close the seminaries was taken by the Additional Deputy Commissioner and other security officials.

Police stations within the jurisdiction of the 41 seminaries have been instructed to enforce the closure.

They include 18 seminaries of Police Station I-9, 14 of Abpara Police Station, 6 of Shahzad Town and 3 from Secretariat Police station.

Sources said the seminaries will be shut from 18th till 24th March.

The government has recently taken action on the monitoring of funds for seminaries accused of promoting militancy and extremism.

Measures have been taken in the aftermath of the December 16th Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar in which over 140 people were killed, majority of them children.

In January, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan met with representatives of madressahs who agreed that religious seminaries found involved in abetting terrorist activities would be dealt with in accordance with the law.

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It was agreed in the declaration that a committee comprising federal and provincial departments and the Ittehad-i-Tanzeemaat-i-Madaris would be formed to prepare a comprehensive registration form to ensure registration of all seminaries.

Religious seminaries are now bound to submit audit reports of their accounts and any foreign funding would only come through official channels in a mode to be worked out by the government.