20 seminaries taken over by government T

Punjab takes administrative and fiscal control of religious schools run by banned groups he Punjab government has taken administrative control of around 20 religious seminaries reportedly run by banned groups.

This comes as a follow-up to the decision by the federal government in the wake of the Pulwama military escalation between Pakistan and India in February and March this year. The majority of the seminaries operate in Lahore and Muridke.

The provincial government has appointed administrators to look after the financial and administrative affairs of these religious schools, said a senior official of the Punjab Home Department. In the first phase, they have taken control of 20 such seminaries that are being run by banned religious organisations, he said adding that the rest of the seminaries will also be taken over after due process.

Pervaiz Akhtar, Chief Executive Office of School Education — Government of Punjab, yesterday confirmed the takeover of religious schools run by banned outfits including Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM).

Akhtar clarified that the administrators’ role would be that of a supervisor. However, he added that the provincial government will take a decision in this regard very soon to streamline religious seminaries.

It was in March after the Pulwama terror attack incident in India, that the Punjab government took over administrative control of a religious seminary and mosque in Bahawalpur that was being run by militant Masoud Azhar’s JeM.

In Karachi, the Sindh government also took over four religious seminaries run by Hafiz Saeed’s JuD.