ISLAMABAD: Former Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) chief and veteran politician Qazi Hussain Ahmed passed away in Islamabad, DawnNews reported early Sunday.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed, 74, was also a prominent religious scholar, Islamic theologian, Islamic democracy advocate.

He was a strong critic of counter-terrorism policy of the United States, and was widely known for his opposition against United States participation in civil war in the neighbouring Afghanistan.

Ahmed was suffering from cardiac disease for quite some time and turned critical three days ago.

His body will be shifted to his native town Peshawar.

Qazi joined JI in 1978 and was elected as the party's ameer (chief) in 1987, a position he would be re-elected to on two more occassions before finally stepping down in 2009.

Last November, he escaped an attack unhurt when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near his convoy in the Mohmand tribal agency.