Pak to crackdown on 48 madrassas involved in terrorism

Pakistan's Sindh province government will crackdown on 48 madrassas involved in promoting terrorism in the country, according to a report.

The decision was taken yesterday at a high-level meeting here presided by Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah.

Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon told media that Sindh government has decided to initiate a crackdown on 48 seminaries which support militancy.

"We have concrete evidence of 48 seminaries promoting terrorism in the country in general and in the province in particular," Dawn quoted Memon as saying.

Memon said the Sindh government would take Wifaqul Madaris, a representative body of madrassas, into confidence before action.

The minister also said a task force has been constituted to check finance sources of terrorism, including protection money, ransom money, land grabbing, smuggling and collection of donations and hides.

About reforms of madrassas, he said that the provincial government had given its input to the federal government which had worked out a comprehensive Madaris Registration Form.

There are more than 25,000 madrasas in Pakistan which are run by various religious groups.

It had been long suspected that some of them were involved in spreading religious hatred, sectarianism, extremism and militancy. But authorities are hesitant to move against them due to fear of backlash by the religious parties.