KARACHI, 15 January — Liaquat Jatoi, a former chief minister of Sindh, made a surprise return to Pakistan on Sunday night, fueling speculations that some sort of changes in the country’s political system may be on the cards.
A member of the powerful Jatoi clan, he derives his strength from his father Abdul Hameed Jatoi rather than his uncle Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, who has been a caretaker prime minister of the country. Abdul Hameed is also a veteran politician but has always stood for certain values in life thus commanding far greater influence among the Sindhi landlords than brother.
Liaquat had fled the country after the military took over in October 1999. He faces a number of charges, including abuse of power and alleged misappropriation of government funds, but the fact that he has been asked to return home by former Interior Minister Chaudhri Shujaat Hussain indicates that a deal has been done.
Shujaat, after the fall of the Muslim League government of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has always been on the right side of the military. He even helped engineer a split in the party headed by Sharif.
Reports said that soon after his return to Pakistan, he had meetings with “important personalities in Islamabad, and was due to have many more meetings in next two days”. These moves indicate he may well be under consideration for an important position at the center or in his home province.
