The number of foreign students in Islamic seminaries in Karachi is by and large declining and the main reason for this development is said to be "strict and lengthy" procedures of the government for issuing visas to foreign students, suggests a Daily Times survey of different seminaries conducted after current year's admissions had been closed. The survey shows the managers of Barelvi and Salafi seminaries have serious complaints about the government's lengthy procedures while a spokesman for one of the largest seminaries in the country, Jamia Binoria, has said they have admitted foreign students but their number is certainly smaller than that of the previous year.By and large, religious schools in the city received an overwhelming response to their admission campaigns which ended recently. At least, 22,000 students were registered in these seminaries and most of them were admitted by Jamia Binoria, the administrative officials of various madressahs say. The figures of admissions since the September 11 attacks on America show that the Pakistani government's crackdown on Islamic militants decreased admissions to religious seminaries to a little over 12,000 in 2002, but they recorded a surge in 2003 when around 20,000 pupils were admitted and this year too the graph retained the surge.