QUETTA, Sept 26: British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Mr Lyall-Grant, has said that the British Government is not opposed to those seminaries who teach religious education blended with modern subjects so that the students passing out of these institutions could prove beneficial for society and the world as a whole.

“We only oppose those Madressahs who have a narrow curriculum and who preach extremism or are producing Taliban-like students,” he observed.

Speaking at a Press Conerence here on Friday, he expressed the hope that the Government of Pakistan would bring about reforms in the Madressah curriculum so that these institutions could give religious as well as modern subjects’ education to the students.

The British High Commissioner said that his government would provide over 50 million pounds to Pakistan to promote women community health workers and family planning over the next five years.

He said during his stay in Quetta he met the Governor, Chief Minister, City Nazim, Senior Minister, Director of Anti-Narcotics Force, Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief and political figures of the province.

“We are aware of vast area of Balochistan and its scattered and scanty population and the Senior Minister has also informed me about the problems and limited resources of the province,” Mr Grant said but clarified that at the moment London had no plan to launch any project in the province.

Regarding the enforcement of Shariat Bill in Balochistan, he said the British Government was opposed to it, but added that it was a democratic right of elected parliament of a country or province to implement any law in the territory under its jurisdiction.

Replying to a question about Afghanistan, he said that the southern and western parts of Afghanistan were still undergoing instability, but the allied forces were making hectic efforts to maintain peace and establish a stable government in the country besides promoting its economy.

“We have already spent a great deal of money in Afghanistan for the purpose and the British Government will spend another 500 million pounds sterling there in this connection,” he said.