President Asif Ali Zardari has raised concerns about the Societies Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which proposes the registration of madrassahs. He argued that existing laws already cover madrassah registration, making the new legislation unnecessary. The president pointed out that the Pakistan Madrasa Education Board Ordinance of 2001 and the Islamabad Capital Territory Trust Act of 2020 already serve this purpose.
Zardari also warned that registering madrassahs under this bill could lead to sectarian tensions and disrupt peace, especially if multiple madrassahs are built within the same community. He cautioned that such a system could create conflicts of interest and attract international criticism, potentially affecting Pakistan’s ratings with organizations like the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The president further noted that the bill does not specify its applicability solely within Islamabad, even though the Societies Registration Act of 1860 is meant to apply only in the capital. He expressed concerns that registering madrassahs as societies could result in their misuse for purposes other than education.
Zardari also pointed out contradictions in the bill’s definition of “madrassah” and noted that the term is not mentioned in the preamble of the 1860 Act, which could lead to confusion. He emphasized that following the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the registration of religious seminaries is now a provincial matter, and federal involvement would be unconstitutional. Given that provinces already manage madrassah registrations, he argued that the bill should not be signed into law.
