ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- About a third of Pakistan's 12,000 Islamic religious schools reportedly have not met a deadline to register with the government.
The registration period ends Saturday but the government is expected to take a flexible approach against those who miss the deadline, reports the Financial Times.
Pakistan's Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao says so far, the government has registered about 65 percent of the schools.
The registration requirement was put in place because of concerns that some if the schools, called madrassas, have become a breeding ground for Islamic militants. As part of the registration, the schools must periodically submit information on their funding sources and ban the recruitment of foreign students.
Pakistani leaders including President Pervez Musharraf insist the allegations of links between the madrassas and militancy have been exaggerated, the report said.
