Pakistan will close all those religious seminaries if they fail to register by December this year, Education Minister Javed Ashraf Qazi said Thursday.

All the unregistered seminaries will have to register themselves by December, Qazi told a workshop of policy and technical personnel from the federal and provincial governments in Islamabad.

"The government will take action against those who refuse to get their madaris (religious schools) registered," the minister said.

He said that all madaris will be registered after amendment of the Society Act, which calls for the registration of educational institutions.

President Pervez Musharraf in his televised address to the nation said last week that all madaris must be registered by December this year.

However, representatives of different madaris groups Wednesday opposed raids on madaris and asked the government to stop the campaign.

A nationwide campaign was launched following reports that three of the suspected bombers of the July 7 London blasts visited Pakistan last year and one of them studied in a religious seminary.

Source: Xinhua