Islamabad police tell seminaries to disallow ‘strangers’ from staying overnight in mosques, madressahs
The Islamabad police have said its Anti-Extremism Unit has “completed contacts” with all seminaries regarding not allowing strangers to reside at or spend the night at mosques and madressahs.
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday night, it stated, “There is no permission to stay in mosques. Strangers will not be allowed to stay at or spend the night in mosques and madressahs.”
It did not elaborate any further on what a “stranger” is.
With regard to opening seminaries, the police said it had already issued directives on the matter. “The permission of the authorised bodies is necessary to open an educational institution or madressah.”
The statement quoted the capital police and the district administration appreciating the ulema and administrators who abided by the law.
The move comes amid heightened terrorism in the country in recent months, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.
A week ago, a suicide bomber ripped through a procession celebrating the birth of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) on 12 Rabiul Awwal in Mastung, claiming the lives of more than 50 people, including a police officer, religious leaders, and children.
No militant group has come forward to claim responsibility for the bombing, prompting claims from the government that the Indian intelligence agency, RAW, was involved.
The same day, at least five people were killed in twin bombings at a mosque inside a police station in KP’s Hangu.
The next day, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir had said that the terrorists and facilitators behind the attacks on 12th Rabiul Awwal were “proxies of the enemies of Pakistan and its people”.
Earlier this month, data compiled by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said the number of militant attacks in August was the highest tally for monthly strikes in almost nine years.
The police directive also follows a crackdown on undocumented immigrants residing across the country, a large number of whom are Afghan nationals, with an ultimatum given earlier this week to leave Pakistan by October 31, or else risk imprisonment and deportation to their respective countries.
The decision had been taken in an apex committee meeting headed by Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and attended by COAS Gen Munir, among others. The committee also decided that movement across the border would be subject to passports and visas, while electronic Afghan identity cards (or e-tazkiras) would only be accepted until Oct 31.
After the passage of the deadline, the authorities will kickstart an operation targeting illegal properties and businesses owned by immigrants or those being run in collaboration with Pakistani nationals.
Following a harsh response from Afghan authorities — that the decision was unacceptable — the Foreign Office had stated a day ago that the crackdown was not aimed at any particular ethnic group.
Interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani also defended the move, saying that it was “in line with the international practice”.
Meanwhile, the Islamabad police had said that out of 1,126 foreign nationals detained by the police, more than 600 people were able to produce their valid documents, after which the police officials allowed them to go home.
It had added that so far at least 67 cases have been registered at different police stations and asked the public not to link undocumented foreign nationals with criminal activities.