The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) said on Friday that the government should take stern action against religious organisations challenging the writ of the government and disrupting law and order in the country. “The CII made this recommendation to the government after students of the Jamia Hafsa madrassa challenged the writ of the government by starting an unofficial ‘anti-vice’ campaign in the federal capital,” sources privy to the CII meeting told Daily Times. The sources said that the CII members discussed the law and order situation with particular focus on the recent developments involving madrassa students and recommended that the government take a firm stand on the issue. The sources said that the meeting chaired by CII Chairman Dr Khalid Masud and attended by Javed Ghamadi, Dr Manzoor Mughal, Rashid Ahmad Jullandhry, Justice (r) Munir Mughal, Daman Ali Shah, Abdullah Khilji and Said Bibi expressed concern over the growing lawlessness and religious extremism in the country.
A press statement issued after the meeting said that the council appealed to clerics and religious scholars to condemn sectarianism, religious extremism and violation of law and order in the Seerat conferences to be held in connection with Eid Miladun Nabi. The sources told Daily Times that the CII would continue its meetings on Saturday and Monday, adding that the council members would attend a Seerat conference on Sunday. Meanwhile, State Minister for Information Tariq Azeem said the government was considering moving the madrassas out of Islamabad.
Azeem told reporters that madrassas in Islamabad would be relocated for the convenience of residents, adding that the government would provide land and financial support for the construction of new madrassas.