RAWALPINDI, Dec 21: Jamaat-i-Islami has taken exception to the anti-ulema utterances of the Interior Minister Moinuddin Haider and warned him against making such remarks just to appease the US.

The interior minister had termed the ulema as ‘folks who have studied only a few introductory books and are‘semi- educated’.

In a joint statement issued by the party secretariat, the Jamaat Rawalpindi Amir Mohammad Abbas Butt, other leaders including Raja Imtiaz Ahmad Taj advocate, Syed Wahid Ali Shah, Dr Muhammad Afzal, Maulana Abdul Jalil, general secretary Mohammad Saddiq and secretary information Mohammad Azam have regretted the remarks passed by Moin against the country’s ulema.

The Jamaat representatives said that the history of Pakistan clearly shows that army rulers and Western-educated people have caused most loss to the interests of the country.

Just to appease the US and to prolong their stay in power, the army rulers have been raising derogatory slogans against ulema. They warned the government to refrain from this practice.