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87<br />

They send examination papers, in Urdu and Arabic, to the madrassas where pupils sit for<br />

examinations and declare results. The names of the boards are as follows:-<br />

Box 5.1<br />

Central Boards of Madrassas in Pakistan<br />

Name Sub-Sect Place Date Established<br />

Wafaq ul Madaris Deobandi Multan 1959<br />

Tanzim ul Madaris Barelvi Lahore 1960<br />

Wafaq ul Madaris Shia Lahore 1959<br />

(Shia) Pakistan<br />

Rabta-tul-Madaris-al- Jamat-i-Islami Lahore 1983<br />

Islamia<br />

Wafq-ul-Madaris-al- Ahl-i-Hadith Faislabad 1955<br />

Salafia<br />

Source: Offices of the respective Boards.<br />

At independence there were 137, or even fewer, madrassas. In April 2002, Dr.<br />

Mahmood Ahmed Ghazi, the Minister of Religious Affairs, put the figure at 10,000 with<br />

1.7 million students (ICG 2002: 2). They belong to the major sects of Islam, the Sunnis<br />

and the Shias, However, Pakistan being a predominantly Sunni country, the Shia ones are<br />

very few. Among the Sunni ones there are three sub-sects: Deobandis, Barelvis and the<br />

Ahl-i-Hadith (salafi). Besides these, the revivalist Jamat-e-Islami also has its own<br />

madrassas.<br />

The number of madrassas has been increasing during General Zia ul Haq‘s rule<br />

(1977-1988). During the war by Islamic Afghan groups in Afghanistan against the Soviet<br />

Union the United States sent in money, arms and ammunition through Pakistan which is<br />

said to have been used to support the madrassas. Later, presumably because religiously<br />

inspired and madrassa students infiltrated across the line of control to fight the Indian<br />

army in Kashmir, they were supported by the Pakistan army (specifically the Inter<br />

Services Intelligence agency). However, both the ISI and the madrassas deny these links<br />

(see several issues of Wafaq al Madaris) and therefore, it cannot be ascertained as to how<br />

many madrassas have increased by the financial aid provided by foreign donors or the<br />

Pakistan army. The increase in the number of registered madrassas is as follows (for<br />

details of increase in provinces see Annexure 4).

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