Share this story!            

Joint government madrassa team to visit US

Staff Report

KARACHI: A joint delegation of the Ittehad Tanzeematul Madaris-e-Deeniya Pakistan (ITMDP) and the Government of Pakistan will be leaving, within the next two days, for a ten-day visit to Washington, to explain the position of seminaries in Pakistan.

The religious affairs federal secretary, Wakeel Ahmed Khan, confirmed this while talking to Daily Times Wednesday and added that the delegation was leaving for the US on the invitation of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD), which was covering all expenses.

The joint delegation comprises federal secretary Khan, and representatives of five religious madrassa organizations that form the ITMDP, namely, the Wafaqul Madaris Arabia Pakistan’s (Deoband) Qari Mohammad Haneef Jalandhari, the Ruet-e-Hilal Committee chairman and Tanzeemul Madaris Ahle Sunnat Pakistan’s (Barailvi) Professor Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman, Wafaqul Madaris Ash-Shia Pakistan’s Dr Riaz Husain Najafi, Wafaqul Madaris As-Salafia Pakistan’s (Ahle Hadith) Mian Naeem-ur-Rehman, and national assembly member and the Rabita-tul-Madaris Pakistan’s (Jamaat-e-Islami) Dr Ata-ur-Rehman.

Mufti Muneeb and Mian Naeem will leave Wednesday night for the US from Karachi, whereas Jalandhari, Dr Ata and Khan will leave, early morning Thursday, from Islamabad. Dr Najafi is in London at the moment and on Friday, will join the delegation in Washington. The delegation will meet US government officials, members of think tanks and various NGOs in Washington, from June 23 to June 28. The delegation will leave for Pakistan on June 29 and will return June 30.

The delegation will first attend a program at Georgetown University on June 23, then it will meet the authorities of the US state department and think tanks, and will also have discussions with the media. The purpose of the tour, according to Khan, was to give to the US government, media and the public positive input on seminaries in Pakistan, to try and rectify the distorted image of them being portrayed in the US and to address doubts. Jalandhari told Daily Times that their visit was a study visit in which they would observe the education system of the Islamic education centres and other educational institutes in the US. He said that he did not know about other aims and objectives of the tour and that they would be briefed by the ICRD before leaving Pakistan or upon reaching the US.

Home | National

Share this story!