NOWSHERA: Chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-S) Maulana Samiul Haq has strongly criticised those opposing the approval of Rs300 million for Darul Uloom Haqqania and said that the views of Awami National Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Pakistan People Party and America in this regard are similar.

“ANP Senator Zahid Khan and Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rashid are saying what America is saying about Darul Uloom Haqania and they all are trying to please the America and the West,” said the JUI-S chief while talking to mediapersons here at Akora Khattak on Friday after meeting a delegation of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.

The PTI delegation included KP Minister for Public Health Engineering Shah Farman and Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Mohammad Atif Khan, secretary education Qaisir Alam and others.

Senator Zahid had earlier expressed the ANP’s opposition to the allocation of Rs300 million in the provincial budget for Darul Uloom Haqqania situated in the hometown of Chief Minister Pervez Khattak.

Samiul Haq said that ANP had distributed Rs1.35 billion during its government among different religious seminaries and mosques mostly in Mardan. He said that the Europe and its media could not tolerate the great role of Darul Uloom Haqqania and always tried to spread rumours about it.

Regarding the allegation of its involvement in Benazir Bhutto murder case, he said that the religious institution had no link with terrorism and its activities were focused on education.

He said that former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani visited the institution last year and appreciated its role in spreading religious education. He said that former prime minister Benazir Bhutto had given special permission to spend the allocated fund of Senate on Darul Uloom Haqania and a big hall ‘Darul Hadith’ had been constructed with that amount. He said that the students of this institution were mostly heads of different Islamic universities.

Meanwhile, a handout issued in Peshawar said that provincial ministers Shah Farman and Atif Khan visited the seminary and met JUI-S chief Maulana Samiul Haq and other religious scholars.

It said that the ministers told the ulema that the PTI-led provincial government had taken steps to ensure proper teaching of religious as well as modern knowledge in madressahs.

It quoted them as saying that the Haqqania was the centre of religious education in Pakistan and the higher secondary school present in the seminary was established in 1936 and affiliated with the Board of Intermediate And Secondary Education, Mardan.

They said that this historic institution had produced renowned ulema, teachers and political leaders, including late ANP leader Ajmal Khattak. They said that the previous ANP government distributed Rs1.37 billion among religious semianries of Mardan, but Haqqania was ignored.

The ministers said that the higher secondary school of Darul Uloom Al-Quran Haqqania where 1,000 students were studying would be upgraded to degree level. They appreciated the role of administration of Darul Uloom Haqqania in eradication of polio in the province. They said that in this religious institution the students would be taught English, mathematics, science, computer science, etc.

The ministers said that the position-holder students of this institution would be provided scholarships while arrangements would be made to send its teachers to Jamia al-Azhar for training.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2016