Pakistan’s fear of clerics dooms Madrassa reforms

Sindh-based writer and educator Assadullah Channa, in his article published in Pakistan Observer, has criticised Pakistan’s repeated failures to reform its madrassa education system, calling it a “chronic national weakness rooted in clerical dominance and political cowardice.”

Channa argues that despite decades of promises and multiple reform drives, Madaaris continue to operate beyond government oversight, serving as both religious and ideological training grounds isolated from the modern world.

According to the Pakistan Observer, madrassas hold immense social importance, especially for low-income families, as they provide free education, food, and shelter.

However, Channa points out that their growing autonomy and the state’s inability to regulate them have created an environment that