KARACHI, March 14: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal on Tuesday strongly condemned the removal of Islamic teachings from the national curricula of Islamiat, Urdu and English in the garb of curbing so-called extremism and vowed to resist conspiracies to secularize education in Pakistan.

“A majority of the Pakistani people is Islam-loving and wants to impart Islamic education to their children. This vast majority and the religious parties will not allow rulers to secularize education curricula on US directives,” said MMA MNAs Muhammad Hussain Mehanti, Abdul Sattar Afghani and Muhammad Laiq Khan, in a joint statement.

The MMA legislators said hatred against the US and its local allies was at its peak in Pakistan. They said they wanted to end the US intervention into Pakistan’s affairs, but instead the government was presenting friends as foes and siding with the enemies of Islam and Pakistan.

They alleged that on directives from the US and other European states, the Aga Khan University Education Board was allowed to function in the country and changes in education curricula were made, which was evident from the statement of the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, that “reforms in Pakistan’s educational sector were done as per US directives”.

The MMA’s legislators said the Islamic identity and ideology of Pakistan were in danger due to policies of the present rulers.—PPI