LAHORE - A central leader of the umbrella organisation for religious seminaries has vehemently rejected the allegation made by the US Congress foreign affairs committee that Pakistani madrasas are responsible for promoting extremism or terrorism.
Qari Muhammad Hanif Jallundri, secretary general of Wafaqul Madaris, said while talking to The Nation yesterday that important world powers desirous of taking over the resources of other countries were responsible for growing extremism and terrorism.
“Instead of accusing religious seminaries of Pakistan,” he said, “these countries should pay attention to their own universities”. He was asked to comment on US Congress foreign affairs committee resolution that Deobandi seminaries in Pakistan, financed by some Gulf states, are spreading hatred as a result of which students studying there were turning to terrorism. Maulana Jallundri said the accusers should come up with solid proofs in support of their allegations. Otherwise, he said, such utterances would have no value.
He argued that seminaries had been functioning for the past three centuries while terrorism started growing some three decades ago. Had madrasas been responsible for the phenomenon, terrorism should have been witnessed centuries ago.
According to him, the menace of terrorism started in this region when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979.
He said world powers wanting to sell their weapons or capture resources of other countries were always in search of opportunities to start wars.
Answering a question, Maulana Jallundri said the Pakistan government could come up with a courageous stance on the allegation of seminaries role in the promotion of extremism and terrorism. Otherwise, he said, the Western countries would miss no opportunity of linking Pakistan with terrorism.