M A I N   N E W S

Pak asked to reform madarsaas
Rajeev Sharma

New Delhi, January 31
A leading international think-tank has asked Pakistan to undertake reforms in madarsaas and asked the international community to hold the Pakistani Government to its commitments on the subject.

The Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG) in its recent report “Unfulfilled promises: Pakistan’s failure to tackle terrorism” dated January 16, 2004, has recommended to the Pakistan Government to immediately establish a madarsaa regulatory authority headed by the Interior Minister to cleanse the proverbial Augustean stables — madarsaa in context of Pakistan.

The suggested Madarasaa Regulatory Authority, says the ICG report, must do the following things:

* Impose mandatory registration and classification of the madarsaa sector

* Empower the Pakistan Madarsaa Education Board to revise and standardise curriculum and ensure it is implemented

* Review existing laws for the registration of non-governmental organisations with a view to tighten financial controls and strengthen the monitoring infrastructure

* Link grants to madarsaas under the Education Ministry’s madarsaa reforms plan to their registration, declaration of financial assets and acceptance and implementation of standardised religious and general curricula.

In another important recommendation for Pakistan, the ICG has asked Islamabad to take effective action against all extremist groups and parties and immediately sign the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.

The ICG has outlined a road map also for Pakistan in this regard. The salient features of this road map are:

(a) Dismantle the infrastructure of groups banned under the anti-terrorism law by prosecuting their leaders, making public the evidence for which the groups were proscribed, and preventing members from regrouping and reorganising under new identities;

(b) Close all madarsaas affiliated with banned organisations

(c) Close all other jehadi madarsaas, including those linked to religious parties.

The think tank also wants Islamabad to ensure that any political deals with religious parties do not involve conditions that compromise basic civil liberties or Pakistan’s obligations under the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373.

The ICG in a hard-hitting observation says that Pakistan “has done very little to implement tougher controls on financing of either madarsaa or extremist groups despite obligations under the UNSCR 1373”. The ICG accuses Pakistan of failing to pass necessary laws in this regard.

In a scathing remark, the ICG says: “Pakistan’s laws on terrorism and extremist groups remain muddled and opaque. While the government claims to be tackling terrorism, it has taken almost no steps towards restricting the extremism that permeates parts of the society. Even Al-Qaida was not officially banned until March 2003”.