A 1997 peace accord that brought radical Islamic guerrillas into Tajikistan's government, seen as a model for volatile Central Asia, is faltering as former warlords complain at being pushed out of power.
The UN-brokered power-sharing deal brought an end to a conflict that tore the impoverished former Soviet republic apart from 1992 to 1997, costing some 150,000 lives, and blunted Islamic radicalism in the impoverished country.
But Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov's moves to consolidate his authority by sacking a dozen prominent Islamists from the government have sparked strong discontent.
Makhmadruzi Iskandarov, who leads the Democratic Party of Tajikistan and was sacked from his post as head of a state natural gas import firm in late November for "negligence," last week called for the formation of an opposition bloc.
Islamist eaders "have been stripped of their posts without any reason," Iskandarov complained.
"Former fighters in the civil war, who were amnestied, are now being pursued once again by police and are sometimes obliged to flee the country or to pay bribes for their release," he said.
The Islamic Rebirth Party, which took up arms during the civil war and numbers some 40,000 members, also slammed the dismissals.
"The Tajik government should respect strictly the spirit of the peace accord," the party's leader Said Abdullo Nuri told AFP.
"Any changes in government ranks should be carried out with great wisdom, to preserve peace, national understanding and stability in the country," he warned.
The party's deputy leader, Shamsiddin Shamsiddinov, was sentenced to 16 years in jail by a military court last month for crimes committed during the civil war. In November, 35 members of the Rebirth party were jailed on similar charges.
At the end of January, the Tajik president got rid of another warlord, General Gaffor Mirzoyev, who had been commander of the presidential guard.
General Mirzoyev, who fought on the government side in the civil war, called after his dismissal for the creation of "a political opposition which can defend freedom of speech".
After several days of acute political tension in Tajikistan, the disgruntled general was given the job of heading the country's anti-drugs agency, which is financed by the United Nations.
Political analysts say the former radical Islamic guerrilla commanders are concerned about ensuring their security.
"By creating an opposition bloc, the former fighters are trying to protect themselves," said commentator Rashid Gani.
Their exclusion from government "was to be anticipated," according to the analyst, who said Rakhmonov was determined to appoint loyal technocrats in their place.
The radical Islamic opposition in 1998 obtained a third of government posts. It has kept a handful of portfolios, including two deputy prime ministerships and industry and emergency situation ministers, after losing a dozen posts in the past three years.