Pakistani leaders fail to reach agreement on restoration of judges
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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif pulled his party from the Cabinet after just six weeks on Monday, raising doubts over the new government's stability and Pakistan's transition to democracy after eight years of military rule.
The coalition that came to power after February elections — dealing a crushing defeat to allies of President Pervez Musharraf — could now flounder. Its two key partners cannot agree over how to restore senior judges axed by the former military strongman late last year.
Sharif said his group would still support the government led by the party of Asif Ali Zardari on an "issue by issue" basis, but also indicated he would join protests by lawyers lobbying for the restoration of the judges — which risks intensifying the standoff between the parties.
A permanent split in the coalition would boost Musharraf, a longtime ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, who has taken a back seat since the new government took power in late March.
"That may be the restraining factor on the two parties," political analyst Hasan-Askari Rizvi said. "Both sides realize that if they start fighting on the judges issue, the main major beneficiary would be Musharraf."
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Rizvi predicted the coalition would continue to function in the short-term, but unless the two parties could find a quick solution to the judges issue "they will drift in the opposite direction."
"That could be the beginning of instability in Pakistan and a major setback for the prospects of democracy in Pakistan," he said.
Sharif said ministers from his party would meet with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday and hand in their resignations. He said he was "very pained" at the decision.
"We will sit together ... We are not going to sit on the opposition benches for the time being," Sharif told a news conference on Monday. "We will not take any step which will benefit Musharraf's dictatorship."
On Monday, the Commonwealth cited Pakistan's progress in restoring democracy in lifting its suspension from the 53-nation group, comprised mainly of Britain and its former colonies.
Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule in November prompted Pakistan's exclusion from the Commonwealth. The organization has little power, but its move has been a diplomatic embarrassment for the South Asian nation.
Pakistan's Foreign Office welcomed that decision. But if the new civilian administration fails — as a series of Pakistani governments did in the 1990s — it could reinforce perceptions that only the army is capable of running the volatile Islamic country.
The wrangling within the coalition over the judges is already an unwelcome diversion for a government facing myriad problems, including Islamic militancy — which claimed the life of Zardari's wife Benazir Bhutto in December — and a worsening economy.
Before their government took power, Zardari and Sharif announced an agreement on reinstating the dozens of judges that were axed by Musharraf to forestall a Supreme Court ruling on his eligibility for office. But they have since disagreed on the mechanics, and weekend negotiations in London — the latest in several rounds of talks — did not produce a deal.
Zardari's party responded Monday with a conciliatory statement, saying it still wanted to restore the judges but the parties needed resolve how to best do it "without affecting the present judges" — a reference to those appointed during Musharraf's emergency.
Spokesman Farhatullah Babar said it would not fill the Cabinet vacancies left by Sharif's party and would try to resolve the issue "amicably." Zardari would return to Pakistan in two days to resume dialogue.
But he added the finance portfolio could not stay vacant for long as the government is preparing to draft the national budget.
Sharif's party holds nine of the 24 Cabinet positions, including finance, commerce and agriculture.
In a move that could make life awkward for Zardari if street protests gather momentum, Sharif said he would join lawyers in pressing for the reinstatement of the judges.
"We will not rest until the judges are restored and Musharraf is ousted," Sharif said, adding his party did not accept judges who took the oath during the emergency.
One key sticking point on the judges appears to be over Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, the deposed chief justice who emerged last year as a bulwark of opposition to Musharraf.
A return of Chaudhry and other judges would increase pressure on Musharraf, long a U.S. ally in the war on terror, and could set up a fresh confrontation with the president.
Sharif, whose last government was tossed out by Musharraf in a 1999 coup, has repeatedly called for Musharraf to resign, but Zardari appears more willing to work with him.
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