Time Required for Legalization of Madrasa Registration Bill: Minister of Religious Affairs Salik Hussain

Federal Minister for Religious Affairs, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, stated that legal complexities are causing delays in giving legal status to the Madrasa Registration Bill. He expressed concerns that restarting the entire process due to demands for registration would waste previously invested efforts.

What you need to know

1. Delay in Legalization: Legal complexities are delaying the Madrasa Registration Bill's formal enactment.
2. Government Efforts: The government fulfilled commitments by passing the bill after consultations with scholars, madrasa administrators, and political leaders.
3. Simplified Process: A one-window system under the Directorate General of Religious Education has registered 18,000 madrasas to date.
4. Avoiding Wastage of Efforts: Restarting the registration process would waste years of effort and resources.
5. Governance Principles: The minister emphasized adherence to rules and regulations rather than fulfilling individual demands.

In his statement, Chaudhry Salik Hussain highlighted that madrasa registration has been a longstanding necessity, requiring consultations with administrators, prominent scholars, and political leaders over the years. He emphasized that the government had fulfilled commitments by passing the bill in parliament, especially addressing demands from Maulana Fazlur Rahman. However, some legal complications require time to resolve. He clarified that this delay does not imply rolling back the entire madrasa registration process.

The minister further explained that madrasas are educational institutions falling under the Ministry of Education. Their registration process faced legal complexities and prolonged procedures. After years of effort, a one-window system under the Directorate General of Religious Education (Ministry of Education) was established, registering 18,000 madrasas to date.

Chaudhry Salik noted that acceding to the demands for reinitiating the process would undermine past efforts and set a precedent for shifting responsibilities between ministries for any profession.

He concluded by stating that the country's governance operates on established rules and regulations, not individual preferences. The Ministry of Education and the Directorate General of Religious Education have already simplified the registration process with a user-friendly one-window operation.