ISLAMABAD, Nov 9: Speakers at a seminar here on Friday unanimously called for setting up of a broad-based national government in Pakistan. The seminar titled “Present crisis and the future of Iqbal’s Pakistan” was organized by Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists in connection with the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.

Air Marshal (Rtd) Asghar Khan, the chief of the Tehrik-i-Istiqlal (TI) was the sole voice supporting present military government’s policies by declaring them as prudent in the given circumstances.

He also suggested that Osama bin Laden should immediately leave Afghanistan and present himself before the International Court of Justice at the Haque as the poor Afghans were paying very heavy price of their hospitability. “Osama bin Laden would get a lot of popularity and respect in the world if he opted for this,” Asghar Khan said.

Apart from Asghar Khan, PML-N convenor Ahsan Iqbal, Jamiat Ulema Islam leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmad, PPP leader Raja Shahid Zafar, president Sindh Alliance Syed Khadim Ali Shah, member Muslim Hands International Syed Zia Noor, vice president Pakistan federal union of journalists (PFUJ) C R Shamsi, PFUJ secretary general Fauzia Shahid and secretary general RIUJ Pervaiz Shaukat participated in the seminar.

The participants were of the view that every Pakistani even President Pervez Musharraf were dying a little every day with the bombing inside Afghanistan and said that the fundamental contradictions of our Afghan policy had emerged in its horrible form putting us in a quandary how to cope with it.

Asghar Khan emphasized that the heavy pounding inside Afghanistan should ceased immediately instead of waiting for the holy month of Ramadan. “The relief agencies have only 10 to 15 days to save Afghan children and women otherwise they are fearing that 100,000 children would not survive this winter, if relief goods are not reached to them,” he said.

Earlier, Ahsan Iqbal said that he was not questioning whether Pakistan had any other option in this grim situation, but the way our leadership has responded to this has badly bruised Pakistan’s self-respect.

“The most heinous crime of the president, is that he has proved that Pakistan is like any other African banana republic, the conquering of which is only a phone call’s away,” he deplored.

He also highlighted different contradictions saying despite president Musharraf’s claims, the bombing was not targeted as heavy civilians casualties taking place, not swift and short as it would prolonged beyond the holy month.

He demanded immediate holding of elections to put in place a democratic place which should decide about the present crisis.

Instead of having broad-based government in Afghanistan, the real need was to have such a government in Pakistan, he said.

Raja Shahid Zafar was of the view that unfortunately important decisions of far reaching affect on country’s future have always been made by the military government instead of a democratically elected governments. Had a political government in place, the decision to respond the present crisis would have taken after lot of brain storming and taking the nation into confidence.