An association of madrassas has condemned what it says was a move by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement's Babar Ghauri to shut down a madrassa in North Nazimabad.
According to member madrassa Jamia Binoria's Mufti Naeemur Rehman, Ghauri, along with the police, came to the Madina Munawwarah seminary earlier this week and closed it. "We do not want a madrassa here," Ghauri is alleged to have said.
"This madrassa is quite old," Rehman said. "Children from the area used to go there to study the Quran and there was no reason to shut it down."
However, the area SHO Asim Siddiqui had no knowledge of a raid and denied police involvement. "I have no idea. I've only heard a rumour that some agency personnel visited the area - I cannot confirm that or whether it was even at a madrassa. If we had been informed, we would have sent a mobile [unit]."
After the closure of the seminary, its management then informed the Wafaqul Madaris al Arabia Pakistan, a body that represents seminaries that follow the Deobandi school of thought. "This is disturbing - there has never been such interference with the madrassas before," Rehman told The Express Tribune. "Babar Ghauri has nothing to do with the madrassas, but as you know, North Nazimabad is an MQM-majority area."
He said madrassa representatives are planning to visit Nine Zero, the MQM headquarters in Karachi, to discuss the issue with the party. However, MQM information cell representatives appeared clueless about any scheduled appointments. MQM's Wasay Jalil said he did not know of the issue, or any planned meeting, but said that seminary representatives often visit Nine Zero and discuss routine issues, as the party also has an ulema wing.
Ghauri could not be immediately reached for comment.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 23rd, 2011.
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