ISLAMABAD: The capital administration has advised seminaries to focus on their curricular activities and disallow their staff and students from participating in political protests.

Sources say senior officers of the capital administration have started visiting seminaries and holding meetings with their managements to persuade them to not participate in JUI-F’s Azadi March.

“Officers have been visiting those seminaries which are expected to lend support to the JUI-F and participate in its march,” the capital administration officials told Dawn on Wednesday.

When contacted, Jamia Mohammadia administrator Maulana Zahoor Ahmed Alvi said Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat visited the seminary in F-6, adding that the DC asked the management to focus only on curricular activities and not on political activities.

Answering a question about participation of the seminary staff and students in the march, Maulana Alvi said it was early for him to say anything about it, as those coming from outside the capital would make programmes.

He said consultations on the issue were yet to take place as Wafaqul Madaris had also not taken any decision about it so far.

Meanwhile, the capital administration have called the leaders/representatives of JUI-F for a meeting on Thursday (today) to discuss the Azadi March and the permission requested by them in this regard, according to officials of the administration.

The meeting will discuss programme of the march, including its destination, arrival time in the capital and conclusion time, they said, adding that the request would be considered in the light of their replies to the queries.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2019