The Ittehad Tanzeemat-i-Madaris Pakistan (ITMP), an organization representing religious seminaries, called on the government on Monday to immediately issue a gazette notification for the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act 2024, which concerns the registration of madaris.

During a press conference following a meeting of Tanzeemat-i-Madaris, Mufti Muneebur Rehman stressed that the bill should not be made controversial and that the notification should be issued without delay. He explained that the bill had already become an Act of Parliament, but the president had raised objections to it for a second time after the required timeframe had passed.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam faction, also attended the meeting and expressed concern that the government had unnecessarily stirred controversy by amending the bill.

The meeting was attended by prominent religious scholars, including Mufti Taqi Usmani, Maulana Hanif Jalandhari, Maulana Sajid Mir, and Maulana Abdul Malik. Mufti Muneeb explained that the bill was first sent to the president on October 28, 2024, but was returned with objections, which were later resolved by the Speaker of the National Assembly. However, after the president raised further objections on November 13, Mufti Muneeb argued that the bill had already become law, and the government should now issue the notification.

Maulana Fazl added that if the government failed to act on their demand, they would reconvene to decide on their next course of action.