ISLAMABAD: Internal wrangling in the Pakistan People’s Party have once again surfaced with a top party leader warning Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto that she would have to pay the price for the misdeeds of her cabinet colleagues in the next general elections. Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar, former governor and ex-chief minister of Punjab, said the PPP was in total disarray with infighting continuing between national assembly members and ministers and between MPS and party workers. Talking to journalists here, he said rampant corruption and creation of a new multimillionaire class was damaging the image of the party.

Reports here had suggested that Khar, who had rejoined the PPP late last year, had formed a “pressure group” in the PPP and was conspiring against the party leadership.

Khar who claimed being instrumental in defeating the opposition sponsored no confidence move against Bhutto last November, had his wings clipped after making tall claims, observers here said.

The PPP leader, who was the right hand of Zulfiqar Bhutto, had promised the party leaders that he would oust the powerful Punjab chief minister, Nawaz Sharif, early this year.

At some of his press conferences, he had claimed that Sharif would be out of office in two or three weeks.

Responding to questions, Khar denied that he had formed any pressure group

Article extracted from this publication >> August 3, 1990