ISLAMABAD:As the simmering tensions over the madrassa registration bill opens another front between the government and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), both sides exchanged barbs over the bill’s approval on Saturday, further muddying the waters over the legislative battle – a ball now in the parliament’s court.
While the government defended President Asif Ali Zardari’s objections as valid and constitutional, the JUI-F blasted the government’s move to stall the process as a ploy to expose its “true motives”.
Meanwhile, the political ripples of the legislative battle widened with several stakeholders, including the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), throwing weight behind the demand for registration of madrassas.
Despite being passed by both houses of parliament, the bill remains in limbo after the president returned it with eight objections. The move has drawn sharp criticism from JUI-F, whose chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman views the delay as a calculated attempt to undermine madrassas.
However, sources said that back-channel negotiations are underway.
On the other hand, Federal Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar dismissed the allegations as baseless, asserting that the president’s objections are purely constitutional.
“There is no mention of FATF in the objections, nor is there any connection,” Tarar clarified, adding, “Politicking over constitutional matters serves no one”.
