Pakistanis Trust Ulama Over Politicians

"This is not surprising. Even this survey had not been conducted, it is a known fact that Ulema enjoy the confidence of a majority of Pakistanis," Dr Zameer Ahmed, a veteran sociologist, told IslamOnline.net.

He insists that General Musharraf does not understand the psyche of Pakistanis.

"They, to an extent, do not consider Ulema to rule them, but they definitely consider the religious scholars to guide them vis-à-vis their daily life," said the expert.

A new survey by Gallop Pakistan, one of most prestigious survey firm in the Asian Muslim country, showed that about 71 percent of Pakistanis trust Ulema as compared to only29 percent who consider secular politicians more trustworthy.

The majority of women interviewed reposed confidence on Ulema against politicians or any other section of the society.

Musharraf had predicted after the passage of the controversial women protection bill, that the women, who make up nearly 52 percent of the population, would reject " extremists" and so-called Ulema.

The survey, which involved 1100 people of different income groups, areas, age, and education, showed that a majority of Pakistanis also trust teachers, doctors and labor leaders.

However, they are not satisfied with the performance of law enforcement agencies and industrialists.

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