A jirga held in Upper Dir announced on Friday that all unregistered seminaries in the district would be shut down from December 31 and directed all such unlicensed institutions to get their paperwork in order before that.
The jirga was held in the security forces’ headquarters to discuss issues faced by locals, with security officials, DCO and DPO Upper Dir, elders, political leaders in attendance.
Talking to The Express Tribune, DCO Muhammad Ali Shah said that the jirga was held to discuss how to facilitate the residents of the district and restore harmony.
It was decided unanimously that all the illegal seminaries in the district would be closed down by early next year.
Another topic of discussion was that of political party flags.
It was decided that instead of multiple party flags at the seminaries, only the Pakistani flag should be on display. “The decision was accepted by everyone in the jirga,” the DCO said, adding that like the rest of the nation, unregistered religious institutions should also be closed here.
Addressing the jirga, Brigadier Zaheer Malik expressed appreciation for both the measures while reiterating that all unregistered seminaries should be registered by the end of this month with the Wafaqul Madaris. Those who do not register will be shut down, Brig Malik said.
He also appreciated the decision taken by elders of the area on demolishing houses that were found having links to militants or a weapons cache. He added that it was decided that if anyone was found in possession of heavy weaponry they will be charged with militancy.
Speaking with The Express Tribune, former provincial minister Malik Jehanzeb Khan said that the decision on unregistered seminaries was agreed upon by both elders and the district government.
He said that it was also decided that the national anthem should be sung in seminaries. However, he added that some of the religious political leaders in the jirga opposed the idea of the national anthem, saying that they only recite the Holy Quran and religious text in their seminaries.
Malik said some of the political elders disagreed with the move for registration of their seminaries with the Wafaqul Madaris. “They suggested that they would rather be registered with the government but not with Wafaqul Madaris,” Khan added.
Other issues that were deliberated included the Lowari Tunnel and the closure of Dir-Chitral Road. Security forces assured that they would work with the National Highway Authority to complete their work on the tunnel soon.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2012.
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