KOHAT: The administration has launched an operation in the district following reports about presence of illegal foreigners in the local seminaries.

District Police Officer Mohammad Sohaeb Ashraf told this scribe that the objective of the operation was to computerise the data of the seminaries, check militant activities there and verify that their curriculum was approved by Waqaful Madaris, the supreme body looking after the seminaries countrywide.

He said that they had already evicted 24 Afghan prayer leaders from various mosques in the city and its outskirts.

He said that Afghan students, almost all of whom belonged to Deoband school of thought, were allowed to study in the seminaries as the ban was applicable only to the members of banned religious outfits.

24 Afghan prayer leaders evicted from mosques

“All the data will be collected and the family background of the students and teachers will also be confirmed. During the operation, the luggage of the students and their teachers is also being checked for banned books and diaries to ascertain their contacts with banned organisations,” said the official.

He said that under the law, Afghan nationals were allowed to study or teach in the seminaries but they were ordered to restrict their other legal activities to their respective mosques in the refugee camps.

He said that the seminaries, which were constructed without proper permission and approval of the industrial department, would be closed.

An official said that there might be some seminaries near the Afghan border and in the tribal areas which were under the control of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan or any other banned group. The political administrations had been ordered to seal such seminaries, he added.

It may be recalled that the commissioner of Kohat has already banned construction of new seminaries throughout Kohat division including Hangu, Karak, Orakzai Agency and Kurram Agency till completion of survey and data collection of the existing madressahs in the area.

The official said that reports about corruption in the funds meant for students had also surfaced which was affecting educational environment and payment of stipends to the students.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2015

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