ISLAMABAD Oct, 14: The Pakistan Muslim League like-minded group (PML-LM) has condemned the killings of civilians in the bombardment of US-led forces on Afghanistan, and demanded a halt to human catastrophe in the war-ravaged country.

Speaking at a news conference here on Sunday, PML-LM leader Begum Abida Hussain defended Gen Musharraf’s stand on the war on terrorism, and said her party was holding a national seminar of politicians and intellectuals on Tuesday to win their support on what she called the ‘principled’ stand of her party.

The party’s stand was to bring the country out of the isolation with which the previous governments struggled for well over two and half years in power, she said and added that the PML-LM supported the government’s decision of cooperating with the world community in whatever manner it was necessary.

Replying to a question, she said she did not expect that the US would continue to stick around even after the ongoing crisis was resolved, and hoped that the US would not dump Pakistan like it had done 10 years ago when former Soviet Union forces had pulled out of Afghanistan.

Commenting on the efforts of installing a broad-based government in Afghanistan, the PML-LM leader suggested care be taken to ensure that all ethnic groups were represented at such a setup.

She rejected the impression that her party’s seminar was being sponsored by the Musharraf government, and said the idea of holding the seminar had been conceived by party president Mian Azhar in consultation with other top party leaders.

She admitted that party secretary-general Gohar Ayub could not be consulted since the deliberations were held in Lahore.

Abida Hussain stated that those, who had not gone to the extreme in opposing the government stand to support the war on terrorism, had been invited to the seminar.

Replying to another question, she accused the Taliban rulers of having no respect for the world opinion and supporting and harbouring terrorists.

When asked whether she agreed with Gen Musharraf’s claim that only 10 to 15 per cent religious zealots/extremists were opposing his policy, she said,”I would rather put the figure at two to three per cent, for the religious elements had failed to fair any good in the recent local bodies’ polls in the country.”

Referring to the coming visit of US Secretary of State Colin Powell to Pakistan, she said,”While we welcome it as it is coming up after a long time, we hope that his discussions with Pakistani authorities will help ease tension with our eastern neighbour.”