Jatiya Party celebrates its 16th founding anniversary today amid growing signs of friction in the wake of the firing of Anwar Hossain Manju.

Party chief HM Ershad will spell out next course of action at a meeting today.

Manju, however, is yet to decide his next move. Sources said Manju, the lone JP man in AL cabinet, was having talks with JP MPs close to him.

Asked about forming his faction of JP, he said he had no such plan at the moment.

He does not plan to hold any function to mark JP’s birth anniversary either. He was one of the founding members of the party when it was floated on January 1, 1986.

Manju, holding the communications portfolio since June. 1996. claimed his removal the partjr does not affect his status as an MP.

He mentioned that party MPs were coming to see him at his residence. Four of them Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Dr Rustam Ali Farazi and Shahadat Hossain were at his house at about 9 last night, he said.

Some sources said at least a dozen party MPs were now supporting him.

Meanwhile. Ershad told BBC Radio yesterday evening that he had to move against Manju following his objectionable and anti-party remarks'.

Kazi Zafar Ahmed, who led a faction of JP that returned to the party fold last week, said that he was in touch with 'former partners' in the Seven Party Alliance led by BNP. But Ershad is yet to decide whether to join the alliance, he added.

The discussion meeting will be held at Sobhanbagh Community Centre at 3 p.m. today.