KARACHI, Dec 1: Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider has urged the Ulema to cooperate with the government in identifying the religious schools which are supporting terrorism.

In a meeting with heads of leading religious schools of the city and editors of monthly magazines at State Guest House, the minister said he was well aware of the fact that 99 per cent of religious schools were rendering a tremendous job of providing education and only a few were supporting terrorism.

However, he said he knew that there were some Madressahs which were supporting terrorism and extremism. He urged the Ulema to assist the government to have a check on such institutions. He also asked them to identify those religious institutions which were supporting the Taliban.

The speakers were unanimous in their view that interference of some powerful elements in the affairs of Madressahs was the root cause of terrorism in the religious schools, and urged the minister to nab such elements.

They said terrorism and such trainings in Madressahs was introduced during the first Afghan war in early 1980s and such elements got strength after the formation of Taliban government in Afghanistan. They also became strong as no action was taken against the so-called “Jehadi organisations” in Pakistan.

They said most of religious schools were serving the society by providing education on self-help basis since centuries in our society.

Terrorist elements were not confined only in religious schools, but they are also in the ordinary schools and other sections of the society, on of the speakers said.

The interior minister said the government was fully aware of the problem and would deal with everyone under the law.

“We want to control those madressahs which were being run by the extremist organisations,” said Mr Haider.

He said what was being done in Afghanistan was not a Jehad and during his three visits to Afghanistan, he asked the Taliban not to use Pakistani youth.

Ulema informed the minister that the government was not extending any financial support to the religious schools and provision of funds to them through the Zakat fund could be of great help to them.

They said the old students of the Madressahs and some welfare organisations in the country and abroad were providing funds to most of the Madressahs.

They said most of budget of these schools is met through local resources, including donations and funds from philanthropists. The religious schools provide lodging and boarding to students with medical facilities and books. Some schools are even providing scholarships to the students, they said.

In the major religious schools, students from abroad are also studying.

The Interior Minister said that the government was not against religious schools and it would take action against only those schools, which are being run by extremist organisations.

Earlier, Moinuddin Haider said that a revised policy to regulate religious schools, to be announced shortly, will be based on experiences of other Islamic states.

Talking to newsmen during a visit to the KPT, he said a large number of uncontrolled religious schools are running in the country without government permission and were engaged in teaching students their school of thoughts. The government does not know about their mode of funding.—app/PPI