DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Feb 9: Roohullah Madni, Provincial Minister for Zakat, Ushr and Religious Affairs, has said that although a policy has been announced for the registration of religious Madaris, suggestions have been sought by the federal government for the implementation of the policy.

Speaking to a group of journalists at the local circuit house here on Saturday, he said it was expected that the policy and its rules/regulations would be finalized by the end of this month after which the policy would be implemented. The minister said either the Directorate of Industries Development Board or Ministry of Religious Affairs would be assigned the task of registering the religious Madaris.

Madni said the government was serious in establishing model Darul Uloom in the country and President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s visit to Jamia Rizvi and Jamia Ashrafia in Lahore was in the same context.

He said that the federal government had already established three model Darul Uloom at Sukkur, Karachi and Islamabad, whereas the government of NWFP had also converted two religious Madaris into model Darul Uloom - one each at Mardan and Swabi - where more than 500 students were receiving education.

The minister said by Feb 6, more than 65 students got admission to model Darul Uloom of Mardan. He said the provincial government was providing education material free of cost and each student would be awarded scholarship from the Zakat fund. He said in the later phase these Madaris would be equipped with computers.

While talking about the property of Auqaf Department in the province, the minister said some of the Auqaf Department property was on the record of the department, while some of it was not. Both types of properties included residential, commercial and agriculture.

He said properties which were under illegal occupation had been cleared of encroachers with the help of law enforcement agencies and had been given on lease through open auction.

The minister said efforts were being made to trace the properties which had not been on record. He said the provincial governor had admitted that the present government had doubled the funds for Auqaf Department.

He said it had been decided that almost the whole of agricultural land with provincial Auqaf Department would be given on lease to Oil and Seed Development Board and this decision has already been implemented in Mardan, Swabi, Charsadda and Dera Ismail Khan.

Madni said the entire agricultural land owned by Auqaf Department in Dera Ismail Khan had been leased out to the board where research work would be carried out to boost agriculture sector.