KARACHI, Dec 31: The Wifaq-ul-Madaris al Arabia has warned the government that if expulsion of foreign students from religious seminaries was not stopped and the related “illegal” order was not withdrawn, it should prepare itself for countrywide protests against the decision.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting on Saturday, Chief Administrator of the Wifaq, Qari Mohammad Hanif Jallandhri, termed the government decision as “illegal, unconstitutional and against Islamic Shariah”, and said it would only benefit India, as it would emerge as a centre of Islamic studies in the world.

He said that after the 7/7 London bombings, the regime here had created an atmosphere of acrimony and insecurity by describing seminaries as bastions of terrorists and were objecting to the curriculum of the seminaries.

He said problems were being created to please the foreign masters by rejecting the asnad of religious seminaries and raising the bogey of inter-madaris boards.

He said that at the time of negotiations between the government and the Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris-i-Deenia, the government was asked to withdraw the decision of expulsion of foreign students.

But on the very next day of negotiations, the government again raised the issue of expulsion of foreign students and it was said that foreign students of local seminaries would be expelled by Dec 31.

Within days, crackdowns started on madaris all over Punjab and teachers and students were arrested and pressurized, he said, adding that only after the intervention of the Punjab chief minister were the religious scholars and students released.

Qari Hanif said that on Thursday last, Sindh government officials including the personnel of the Special Branch raided Jamia Binoria Al-Alamiya Karachi and pressurized the administration to expel foreign students by Dec 31.

And, on the same day, the Sindh home secretary through a handout said that visas of foreign students had been cancelled and they would have to leave the country.

He demanded the government to tell them for what “crime” were these students being asked to leave the country, adding that the “autocratic decision” was against basic human rights and the UN charter.

He alleged that the government decision was an act of “extremism”, and against religious and social norms and values, and declared that foreign students would not be forced by their seminaries to leave Pakistan.

He said that on one hand, the Sindh home secretary was asking foreign students to leave Pakistan by Dec 31 while on the other, Federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said that no such deadline was given.

He had said if any student approached for an extension in his stay, it would be considered.

While urging the Supreme Court and the Sindh High Court to take suo moto action over the issue of expulsion of foreign students, he also demanded the government to immediately withdraw the expulsion order, facilitate more foreign students for acquisition of religious education at local seminaries, and resolve the issue through negotiations.

He said that the Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris-i-Deenia had arranged a countrywide convention in Islamabad on Jan 1, which would be attended by leaders of major political and religious parties, the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) and heads and representatives of religious seminaries.