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| Sunday, 31 July 2005 |
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'NO' to foreigners in Islamic seminaries ISLAMABAD, July 29 (AFP) - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf on Friday said all the estimated 1,400 foreign nationals studying in the country's madrassas would have to leave the Islamic seminaries. "All foreigners are to be removed" from Pakistan's more than 10,000 madrassas, Musharraf told reporters, and no new visas would be issued to non-Pakistanis wishing to study in the seminaries and Islamic prayer schools. The ban would also apply to holders of dual nationality. "An ordinance to this effect will be adopted in the next coming days," General Musharraf said. He also reiterated that all Islamic prayer schools in the country would have to register with the government by the end of the year. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has urged Pakistan to move against extremists and radical madrassas following news that some of the London July 7 bombers had recently visited the South Asian country. Musharraf last week ordered a crackdown on extremists. By Friday security forces had rounded up more than 600 suspected militants and Islamic clerics. |
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