RAWALPINDI, Aug 18: The Jamaat-i-Islami deputy chief (Punjab), MNA Mian Mohammad Aslam, has said that Al Qaeda is a fictitious group.

The JI leader, in a press release issued here on Wednesday, said the passion for Al Qaeda had been sponsored by the western media. The frenzy of Al Qaeda has been let loose on the pretext of 9/11, he added.

He said the aim appeared to subject Muslim personalities and Muslim countries to oppression. About his meeting with Ulema from Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Mr Aslam said there was no organization by the name of Al Qaeda, therefore, the relationship with Al Qaeda was merely fictitious and self-concocted.

The MNA said under no circumstances raids on mosques for the fulfilment of the US agenda would be tolerated. He said all the Ulema from Rawalpindi and Islamabad had decided to adopt a joint strategy in this regard. The JI leader said the government should work for the promotion of Islamic values according to the Constitution, instead of following the US agenda.