ISLAMABAD, Oct 15, Reuter: The two main rivals of Pakistan Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto have joined forces to fight her people’s party in general elections on November 16.

The two factions of the Pakistan Muslim league (PML) announced late on Friday night that they were reuniting under the leadership of former Prime Minister Mohammad Khan Junejo

Political analysts said the move was aimed at avoiding a split in the anti-Bhutto vote. In 1970, the people party (PPP) won 59 per cent of National Assembly seats with only 39 per cent of the popular vote under the first past the post electoral system.

The United Muslim league will present a stronger challenge to the PPP, which since the death of military President Mohammad ZiaulHaq in August has been widely favored to do well in the polls, the Analysts said.

“This was expected,” People’s party secretary general Tikka Khan commented on Saturday. “They are all afraid of the PPP.”

The Muslim league split began when Zia sacked Junejo last May. The Government it faction was led by the powerful Chief Ministers of Pakistan’s four provinces and most of the federal’ cabinet. They proclaimed themselves Zia’s political heirs.

Friday’s announcement cast doubt over the future of some of the smaller anti-PPP parties, These had grouped into two electoral alliances around the Muslim league factions.

But analysts predicted it would be almost impossible to bring them all together in one alliance, as rivalries between two of the Moslem religious parties ran deep.

Saturday was the last day for filing nominations for the 207 national assembly seats up for election.

Bhutto, 35, filed her nomination papers for her father’s old seat in her home town Larkana, in the Southern province of Sind, on Friday. Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was overthrown by Zia in 1977 and later executed.

Benazir Bhutto is also due to contest a second seat permitted under Pakistani electoral rules —in Lahore. Her mother Nusrat will stand for another Larkana constituency, PPP sources said.

Bhutto’s father in law Hakim Ali Zardari has abandoned the leftwing Awami national party for the PPP and will stand for the seat of Nawabshah in Sind.

Article extracted from this publication >> October 21, 1988