Islamabad: (Parliament Times) President Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan, reiterated the need to promote the true teachings of Islam and encourage learning of the Holy Qur’an, especially amongst our youth. He said it was our religious duty to contribute to this noble cause.
The President made these remarks while chairing the Board of Governors meeting of the AJK Tajweed Al-Qur’an Trust here at Jammu and Kashmir House. The meeting was co-chaired by Raja Farooq Haider, Prime Minister AJK. The BoG meeting was also attended by the Raja Abdul Qayyum, Minister Auqaf and Religious Affairs AJK, Mian Waheed-ud-Din, Chief Secretary AJK, Muhammad Ayaz Khan, Accountant General AJK; Nazir Gillani, Secretary Religious Affairs; Obaidullah Farooqi, Chairman Ulema and Mashaikh Council AJK; Farid Tarar, Secretary Finance AJK and Ihsan Khalid Kiani, Principal Secretary to PM AJK.
Various issues relating to the rules and regulations, and financial matters of the Tajweed Al-Qur’an Trust, opening of new Madrasas for the teaching of Holy Qur’an and increase in honorarium of Qur’an Teachers were discussed.
Nazir Gillani, Secretary Religious Affairs gave a comprehensive presentation on the working of the Trust and the status of the existing Madrasas which were actively promoting the accurate pronunciation and recitation of the Holy Qur’an. Currently, he said, 657 Madrasas were operational which are catering to almost 45000 students.
The President and Prime Minister advised compiling a report on the performance of the existing Madrasas. The report, they said, should highlight the attendance of the Qur’an Teachers and students, hurdles and achievements.
President Masood Khan while commended the noble efforts of the Tajweed Al-Qur’an Trust, said that that the teaching of the Holy Qur’an will help strengthen the faith of the students by leading their lives according to the true tenets of Islam, improve their spiritual well being and help promote the message of peace and tolerance in the society.
It was also proposed by the Trust to open new Madrasas; the proposal was accepted in principle and it was recommended to devise a strategy for the phase-wise establishment of these Madrasas keeping in view of the available funds. The Secretary informed that to ensure transparency, advertisement requesting applications for new Madrasas were published and till date over 2545 applications were received. The members of the BoG recommended constituting a committee for the strict scrutiny of all applications and to rationalize the establishment of these institutions at subdivisions keeping in view of the need and population. The members also commended the proposal of the Trust to prioritize establishment of Madrasas in Refugee Camps, far-flung areas and areas adjoining the Line of Control.
On the recommendations of the Trust, the President and Prime Minister endorsed an increment of Rs. 2000 for the Qur’an Teachers increasing their monthly honorarium to Rs. 12000. The increment in the honorarium was welcomed by all.
It was also decided that inspection teams be constituted to randomly visit the Madrasas and asses the attendance of teachers and their performance. Minister Religious Affairs proposed that in the initial stages officers of local educational institutions may be engaged for this purpose. The proposal was endorsed and the Prime Minister assured that necessary instructions will be passed on to the Education Ministry AJK.
