Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s decision on Wednesday to expel former Prime Minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi from the ruling Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI) could jeopardize his own position in the IJI political observers here feel.

The IJI was initially a group of nine big and small political parties and groups but in the recent past it has been deserted by three components leaving Mr. Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and the right-wing Jammat Islami as the main partners; the four others are basically individuals disguised as political organizations.

“The breakup of the IJI is a potential threat to Mr. Sharif’s power base in the National Assembly where the IJI is registered as apolitical alliance and none of components is individually identified or represented.

Oddly though Mr. Sharif leads the IJI he does not head any of its components including his own party the PML which is headed by Mr. Mohammed Khan Junior of Sindh who was Prime Minister during General Zia-ul-Haqs days. Mr. Sharif has been trying to wrest the President ship of the PML to ensure his control over PML MPS in Parliament but Mr. Junior has been resisting all along.

Days before his expulsion Mr. Jatoi who heads the National Peoples Party had joined hands with Benazir Bhutto in Sindh to put up his son 29 a candidate in place of the late Chief Minister Jam Sadiq Ali but both Mr. Sharif and President Ghulam Shaq Khan had opposed the move denying the Benazir-Jatoi alliance a majority in the 109 strong Sindh Assembly. Ms. Benazir and Mr. Jotoi then decided not to oppose the candidature of Mr. Muzaffar Shah who eventually became the Chief Minister. Thus Mr. Jatoi was in the anomalous position of being an ally of Ms. Bhutto in Sindh while being a coalition partner of Mr. Sharif at the Center; his son was Federal Minister for Communications a lucrative post in the present set-up.

Mr. Sharif first sacked the junior Jatoi on charges of corruption and then late on Wednesday expelled the elder Jatoi from the alliance much to the anger of other coalition partners.

The right-wing Jamaat Islam leader Qazi has openly declared that Mr. Sharif had not power to expel anyone he has been criticizing Mr. Sharif in recent weeks and has demanded a meeting of IJI party heads to give the alliance decent burial”

Mr. Sharif’s own party the PML can’t be happy about the expulsion decision; less than a week ago a meeting of its Central Working Committee at which Mr. Sharif himself was present decided to deep the IJI intact but Mr. Sharif apparently ignored the advice. He may have taken his revenge but he may see discover that he may have to pay heavily for it.

Article extracted from this publication >> April 3, 1992