RAWALPINDI: Director General of Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor announced on Monday about the plans to being Madrassas under the regulation of the Ministry of Education.
Addressing a press conference, DG ISPR briefed the media representatives about the steps taken to bring Madrassas into the mainstream. “Their curriculum will include contemporary subjects. These madrassas will be under the Ministry of Education,” he continued.
The military spokesman said there are over 30,000 madrasas in Pakistan since 1980s and over two million children receive education in these madrassas. “Of these madrassas, less than 100 would divert students towards militancy,” he said.
DG ISPR said the government has decided to mainstream all these madrassas. “Their curriculum will include contemporary subjects. These madrassas will be under the Ministry of Education.”
“In the first phase, a bill will be prepared,” he elaborated. “In the second phase, the syllabus will be made and teachers posted. In the third phase, mainstreaming will take place.”
“At the start Rs2 billion will be required, and then Rs1 billion annually,” he added.
In the second phase, the syllabus will be made and teachers posted. In the third phase, mainstreaming will take place.
“At the start Rs2 billion [will be] required, and then Rs1 billion annually,” he added.
“The Army believes in the philosophy of not leaving your sect and not lashing rival sect,” asserted DG ISPR.
He further went on to claim that only a few madrassas out of many are involved in spearheading hate and extremism.
Major General Asif Ghafoor on Monday asserted that there is no organised terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan. “We can say with evidence that now there is no organised terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.”
“We share intelligence with 70 countries,” he informed, as he lamented that over 81,000 Pakistanis were martyred or injured in the war against terrorism.
“This is the cost we paid for this cooperation,” he said.
The spokesman noted that radicalisation took root in Pakistan due to the impact of the Afghan jihad and the Iranian revolution.
“After 9/11, international powers wanted to pressure Pakistan to devise policies according to their will,” he said.
“Terrorism came to Pakistan when international forces started the operation in Afghanistan. Since 9/11, Pakistan conducted kinetic operations against terrorist organisations.”
The DG ISPR said it was decided on January 1 this year as to how to mainstream proscribed organisations.
“But there was an issue of finances. In February, when this was announced for the first time in Pakistan’s history funds were allotted for this.
“To control welfare of these organisations, the government has made a mechanism to bring their hospitals [etc] under the government’s supervision,” he added.
