| The government has directed the intelligence agencies to identify the madrassas involved in militancy and spreading hate material across the country to contain the recent wave of extremism. Sources told Daily Times on Thursday that there were about 17,000 madrassas in the country and the agencies would need four to six months to complete their task and submit a report to the Interior Ministry. The sources said the agencies would investigate the madrassasÂ’ links with militants and would check whether any madrassa was preparing children for militancy. The sources said the decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the National Security Council on June 4 with President General Pervez Musharraf in the chair. Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao briefed the meeting about increasing militancy in the country. The sources said that the Interior Ministry had a list of 20 madrassas that were involved in militancy across the country, but it was felt that the information gathered by the intelligence agencies and provincial home departments was incomplete and should be verified. |