Draft bill made for registration of seminaries
Police in coordination with the law department have prepared a draft bill for regularisation of seminaries in Sindh, a senior police officer said on Friday.
The proposed legislation titled Sindh Deeni Madaris Bill, 2016, was aimed at creating a formal mechanism for registering, regulating and facilitating affairs of Deeni Madaris (seminaries), added additional inspector general of police, counterterrorism department (CTD), Dr Sanaullah Abbasi.
He said the CTD and the special branch with help of the law department had prepared the legislation after conducting a survey of seminaries under the National Action Plan.
The bill, which urged the government to provide funding to registered seminaries, said that all seminaries shall be required to obtain a ‘registration certificate’, valid for two years, issued by the divisional registrar /divisional commissioner.
The already established seminaries would be also required to get the RC within six months.
A seminary would also be required to get a building plan from the Sindh Building Control Authority and a certificate from the department of religious affairs that it had “required expertise” to impart religious education.