ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's opposition leader Nawaz Sharif Friday expelled the nationally ruling Pakistan People's Party from the Punjab provincial government, where it has been in coalition with his own party. Punjab is the country's most populous province and the decision by Sharif, a former prime minister who leads the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), is likely to trigger renewed political confrontation in Pakistan. Sharif told a news conference that he made the move because of the central government's “failure” to end corruption and improve the economy. “We are parting ways, we are bidding goodbye to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) today,” Sharif said. The PPP is a minor party in the provincial coalition. In early January, Sharif made 11 key demands, including that the central government investigate corruption scandals, reduce non-development spending by one-third, and set up an independent election body. The PPP last month accepted one of the demands, reversing a controversial fuel price hike, amid pressure from the public and its national coalition partners. “The government made no satisfactory progress on even one of our 10 points,” said Sharif, adding that his party wanted the government to take steps to end poverty and unemployment, and shortages of power and gas. The PML-N, which regularly criticizes the government over allegations of corruption, often linked to President Asif Zardari, gave federal authorities 45 days to act on the demands, which expired Tuesday, said Sharif. He claimed the PPP government was “not sincere” in implementing court rulings and was “protecting” corrupt elements. “Sharif's decision may trigger political tension and plunge the country into fresh crisis,” political analyst Nazir Naji said. The government, which came to power nearly three years ago in rare democratic elections, faces Taliban-linked militancy within Pakistan and a crippling economic crisis, as well as the fallout from devastating floods last year. – Agence France
