ISLAMABAD Aug 11: The government is likely to start the process of registering seminaries after President General Pervez Musharraf holds a meeting with leaders of five main religious institutions (wafaqul madaris) in the near future, sources in the ministry concerned told Dawn on Thursday.

There is no breakthrough in sight over the timetable and terms of expulsion of foreign students or registration of the remaining seminaries owing to a divergence of opinion among various organs of the government, a senior official in the ministry of religious affairs said.

Religious schools are waiting for an appointment with the president, Maulana Hanif Jallendhri, coordinator of the alliance of religious schools (Ittehad Tanzeemat Madaris Deeniah), told Dawn.

“ITMD leaders want to discuss their stand on the registration of seminaries and expulsion of foreigner religious students,” Maulana Jallendhri said.

They will request the president to differentiate between religious students who hold radical ideas and pose a threat to the country’s peace and those who are serious about pursuing degrees in Islamic teachings.

The alliance of religious schools says the law under which half of its affiliated bodies have already been registered is adequate for registration of the remaining seminaries. “There is no need for a new law,” Maulana Jallendhri said.

Similarly, he said, the government should change its policy of indiscriminately expelling all foreign students and instead give the students some time to complete their studies.

Only a couple of Nepali students have left the country since the expulsion orders were given by the government. Most of the foreign students appear to be waiting for clear instructions on whether or not they will be allowed to appear in the upcoming examinations before departing.

There are more than 13,000 seminaries in the country, almost half of them are registered under the 1860 Registration of Societies Act. Registration of the remaining madressahs was halted due to differences on the mode of registration between ministries of law, interior and religious affairs.

While the ministry of religious affairs has recommended that the government complete the registration of the remaining seminaries under the same law under which the rest had been registered, the ministry of law and ministry of interior wanted a new law to be applied for the registration.