The combined Islamic education board of Qawmi madrasas yesterday decided that the teachers and students of Qawmi madrasas will stay away from all sorts of political activities.

The government-recognised board, Al Hayatul Ulaya Lil Jamiatul Qaumia, made the "final decision" at a meeting at a madrasa in the capital's Jatrabari area with board Chairman Maulana Mahmudul Hasan in the chair, it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, police claimed that top Hefajat leader Mamunul Haque has close links with a Pakistani militant outfit. The Hefajat joint secretary general, now on police remand, allegedly developed the links through his brother-in-law Mufti Niamatullah during his Pakistan visit in 2005.

Niamatullah was later arrested in connection with the August 21 grenade attack carried out by banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) in 2004. He also had close ties with Maulana Tajuddin, who was awarded death penalty in the grenade attack case.

Yesterday's decision by the board came amid the government's persistent pressure to exclude from it the Hefajat leaders involved in March 26-28 violence in different parts of the country in protest of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit, Hefajat sources told The Daily Star.

Al Hayatul Ulaya Lil Jamiatul Qaumia is the parent organisation of six Qawmi madrasa education boards. It arranges the central examinations for Qawmi madrasas and issues certificates.

At least a dozen Hefajat leaders who hold various posts in Al Hayatul Ulaya Lil Jamiatul Qaumia attended yesterday's meeting.

Seeking anonymity, two of them told this newspaper that they made the decision following the government's continued pressure to axe from the board the Hefajat leaders involved in political activities and have links to last month's three-day mayhem that left at least 17 people dead.

They further said Hefajat is now under tremendous pressure from the government to restructure its committee by removing from it the Hefajat leaders involved in the recent violent activities and has direct involvement in different political parties.

The Qawmi madrasa-based organisation is now trying to negotiate with the government which continues to crack down on its top leaders.

In a bid to convince the government, a Hefajat delegation met Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at his residence on April 19 and assured him that students of Qawmi madrasas will not be involved in any anti-government or anti-state activities.

As of yesterday, 19 top Hefajat leaders and around 800 activists of the Islamist outfit were arrested across the country over acts of violence.

PAKISTAN LINK

Harun-Or Rashid, DMP deputy commissioner (Tejgaon Division) said Mamunul had stayed in Pakistan for 45 days in 2005 and collected a module of a political party in that country. He later tried to apply it to Hefajat.

Talking to reporters at his office, Harun further said they learnt about it while interrogating Mamunul who is now on seven-day remand in a vandalism case filed with Mohammadpur Police Station.

The DMP official further said they found evidence of huge financial transactions involving Mamunul by examining his mobile phone.

"Mamunul was collecting money from Pakistan, Dubai and Qatar, using the name of Babri mosque in India. He later used these funds to train students at different mosques and madrasas in the country," said Harun without giving any details.

At a separate briefing, the home minister told reporters that different militant outfits that were crushed in the past are now trying to create anarchy in the country again under Hefajat's banner.