Mufti Naeem urges seminarians to stay away from politics.

KARACHI -- A day after Prime Minister Imran Khan met ulema and scholars in Islamabad, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has geared up its efforts to foil an anti-government march to be organised by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and backed by major opposition parties later this month.

In this connection, two federal ministers belonging to the PTI called on the chancellor of Jamia Binoria - an international Deobandi seminary where a large number local and foreign students have been studying - here on Saturday in a bid to get his support against the anti-government march on Islamabad.

Religious Affairs Minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri and Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi met Mufti Mohammad Naeem at Jamia Binoria, SITE, and discussed with him the overall political situation with a specific reference to the JUI-F's 'Azadi March'.

The two sides met behind closed doors, but later they appeared before the media.

Issues statement after two federal ministers call upon him at his madressah

Accompanied by the two ministers, Mufti Naeem did not categorically reject the JUI-F's 'Azadi March' call, though he spoke about the alleged use of seminary students for political aims.

In a video statement aired by almost all TV news channels, he asked all seminaries to not use their students for political objectives.

'Do not allow participation of students in any sit-in, rally or a similar programme. It would give a bad name to madressahs if students get injured while participating in a rally,' he said.

He said that students of 53 countries were studying in Jamia Binoria which is one of the big academic institutions of the country.

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