MAULANA Fazlur Rehman appears to be having trouble digesting the fact that he was taken for a ride. The government, though it may have earlier promised to change the process for madressah registrations in exchange for his party’s votes for the 26th Amendment, now seems to be in no mood to honour their agreement. The sooner the JUI-F chief can come to terms with this simple fact, the faster he can move on. It is, no doubt, poor form for the government to have treated the maulana thus: one recalls the relentless coddling and cajoling it took to coax the necessary votes out of the JUI-F, and it appears this agreement was an important part of the deal that was struck. It cannot be that the government suddenly realised that what the maulana was demanding would get Pakistan into trouble with the FATF. However desperate it was, it should not have made a promise it could not keep. The maulana rightly feels cheated over the government not holding up its end of the bargain. Though the JUI-F has threatened agitation if the madressah registration bill is not honoured, it is hoped that things will not come to that.

It appears that the majority opinion is also opposed to what the maulana wants. The Council of Islamic Ideology, for example, has chosen to stand with the government, as have the heads of several major boards governing madressah education. Politically, too, the JUI-F seems to be alone in pursuing this demand, as no major political party, including the PTI, believes that the registration process should be rolled back to what it was before reforms. A lot now depends on a meeting of madressah boards called on Dec17 when the matter will be taken up. It is unlikely, given the stakes involved, that the maulana will get endorsement for what he wants. Still, the government will need to atone for its betrayal in some form. It is hoped that the matter is amicably resolved, as it involves a significant subset of the country’s education system. The focus should remain on bringing seminaries and regular schools closer to each other so that all students can enjoy equality of opportunity and the freedom to choose whatever profession they desire. It is their welfare that must be considered paramount. All else is a distraction.

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2024