The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has reserved its verdict on a petition filed by a seminary student who was barred from taking an exam due to his short beard.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, while hearing the case on Friday, questioned the legal standing of Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia and remarked that children were the future of Pakistan and could not be denied religious or secular education.
"Under what law does Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia award degrees?" he asked.
The petitioner said that he had passed the first-level exam from Jamia Islamia but was denied permission to take the next-level exam due to a misinterpretation of examination regulations regarding beard length.
Senior lawyer Kamran Murtaza, the assistant attorney general and officials from the education ministry appeared before the court.
The bench inquired whether students holding degrees from Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia receive the same facilities as those from other educational institutions.
"The fundamental question is: what will be the legal status of a degree awarded by Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia?" Justice Kayani asked.
The judge further questioned under which law Wafaqul Madaris Al-Arabia registered other institutions under its authority. Referring to Supreme Court rulings on regulating law and medical colleges, he noted that no institution can now admit more than 100 students in law programmes.
Addressing the assistant attorney general, Justice Kayani observed, "You are regulating seminaries, but you are not clarifying how the education system will function."
Officials from the education ministry informed the court that the registration process for seminaries across the country was ongoing.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its decision on the student's petition.
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