RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Over 30,000 religious seminaries across the Country would be operated under the Ministry of Education, the Director General Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor announced on Monday.
While briefing media in Rawalpindi, the director general ISPR said that in the past, Madaris (seminaries) were working under the Industries Ministry. However, he added, that now it has been decided to make religious seminaries a part of the national stream.
Major General Asif Ghafoor said that all religious scholars affiliated with various schools of thought have agreed to link Madaris (seminaries) with the Higher Education Board. He said that beside the religious education, contemporary subjects would also be taught in seminaries.
Major General Asif Ghafoor said that the syllabus of Madaris won’t be altered; however hate speech and offensive material will be removed from the religious syllabus.
The DG ISRP said that religious seminaries would be brought in the mainstream in three phases. He said that about 2.5 million students getting religious education are also entitled to good future.
Talking about India, Major General Asif Ghafoor said that India has been speaking lies one after the other after the Pulwama incident, and all of them have been exposed. He said that instead of reacting to Indian lies Pakistan behaved responsibly and presented facts, proving false Indian claims about the Indian airstrike in Balakot on February 26 and the subsequent developments.
The director general ISPR said that nuclear power is a weapon of deterrence; however, if aggression is carried out, Pakistan has the right to use any weapon in its defence. He said that Pakistan army, with the support of the nation, will respond with full force to any aggression by India.
With regards to Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), the DG ISPR raised serious questions about their funding by RAW (India’s Research and Analysis Wing) and NDS (Afghan National Directorate of Security).
The DG ISPR cautioned especially Pashtun tribes against falling into trap of anti-state forces.
Major General Asif Ghafoor said that PTM had put forth three demands i.e clearance of mines, removal of security Checkposts and recovery of missing persons. He said that security agencies were working on these demands but PTM resorted to fulfill nefarious designs of anti-state elements.
The director general ISPR said that Pakistan army will take every possible step, but under the framework of law, to quell PTM’s subversive agenda.
While giving update about the actions being carried out under the anti-terror Operation Radd-Ul-Fasaad, the DG ISPR said that 87 major operations and about 1000 Intelligence Based Operations (IBOs) have been carried out. He said that 64235 weapons were also recovered from terrorists.
The DG ISPR said that the security forces have dismantled terrorist network and now there exists no organized infrastructure of terrorism in Pakistan.
