JUI-F suspects bargaining tactics on madrassa bill

ISLAMABAD:

The political standoff between the PML-N-led government and the JUI-F has escalated, as the delay in passing the madrassa registration bill has raised suspicions within the religio-political party.

Senior JUI-F officials on Saturday suggested that the government may be stalling the bill's passage as part of a larger political manoeuvre, possibly to secure the JUI-F's backing for a future constitutional amendment or other political moves.

The bill, which was originally tabled and passed by the government, now finds itself caught in limbo at the last stage, despite earlier assurances to the JUI-F that it would become law and passage by the government itself.

According to JUI-F sources, the bill's passage was deliberately halted at the behest of some powerful stakeholders, with the aim of either revising the bill or using the delay as leverage in future negotiations.

The JUI-F officials, with whom The Express Tribune had a detailed discussion on the issue, left nothing to the imagination by saying that no one can achieve such objectives through arm-twisting tactics or by offering "lollipops".

"By delaying the bill, the ruling coalition is only enraging JUI-F," JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza shared.

Commenting on the back-to-back meetings of key leaders with JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the senator stated that while no specific message or request for support on particular legislation has been communicated, the leaders have merely asked Maulana for more time to pass the madrassa bill and to remain aligned with them in the coming days.

On Wednesday, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met Fazl in Islamabad after the JUI-F issued a stern warning over delays in the enactment of the Societies Registration (Amendment) Act, 2024 by the president.

In addition, apart from a telephone call by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his political aide Rana Sanaullah had visited Maulana to deliberate on the madrassa bill and overall political developments.

Earlier, Senator Faisal Vawda had also met Maulana to discuss issues ranging from the madrassa bill to political happenings and from PTI to its jailed founding chairman Imran Khan.

Surprisingly, the government and JUI-F standoff has emerged at a time when the capital is abuzz with rumours about the idea of forming a national government to bring political stability.

The bill was initially passed by Parliament but was returned unsigned by President Asif Ali Zardari, raising suspicions of political manoeuvring. JUI-F chief, in a call with PM Shehbaz, had expressed frustration over the delays, accusing the government of undermining trust and backtracking on its commitments.

Resultantly, the bill which focuses on formalizing seminaries' registration has not only become a source of friction between the ruling coalition and JUI-F but Maulana warned of protests if the bill is not enacted promptly.

People in the ruling coalition and JUIF, who are familiar with the negotiations, say that while the JUI-F is adamant about the immediate enactment of the madrassa bill, the government may be seeking to leverage the delay to gain JUI-F's backing for another legislative or constitutional initiative.

They also suspected that a "third force" could also be behind the move so that the contents of the bill could be amended.

However, JUIF leadership has ruled out any compromises, insisting that the bill's passage is non-negotiable and warning that the JUI-F will march on Islamabad if the issue is not resolved by December 8.

When approached for comments, JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri said that returning a bill, which was tabled by the government and already passed by Parliament, was nothing but an insult to the Parliament and government, saying it merits the law minister's resignation.

To several other questions, he said that Maulana will give his stance on the situation in Peshawar's rally on Sunday.

The information minister couldn't be reached for comments.