2,327 ‘suspected’ madrassas shut down countrywide, NAP implementation documents reveal

By
Azaz Syed
|
2,327 ‘suspected’ madrassas shut down countrywide, NAP implementation documents reveal
File Photo

ISLAMABAD: A total of 2,327 ‘suspected’ religious seminaries have been sealed countrywide in connection with the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP), documents of the Interior Ministry revealed.

"Suspected seminaries (madrassas) are those which militants use or those which entertain the activities of defunct organisations or suspected militants," Mohammad Amir Rana, an independent security analyst, explained while talking to this correspondent.

Out of these 2,327 madrassas, 2,311 have been closed in Sindh alone. 13 madrassas have been sealed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) while only two madrassas have been closed in Punjab, the latest data of the provincial governments shared with the federal government revealed.

Balochistan remained the weakest province in relation to action against ‘suspected’ madrassas, where only one madrassa has been shut down so far, the data disclosed.

The documents containing the details of NAP implementation available with this correspondent also reveal that governments of the federal territory Islamabad, Punjab and Sindh have completed 100% mapping of the seminaries.

Balochistan also remained the slowest amongst all the provinces in mapping action, where only 60% of the mapping has been carried out. KP government has completed 75% of the mapping whereas operation-torn Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has performed 85% of the mapping.