M A I N   N E W S

6 months on, govt in tatters over return of judges
Sharif pulls out of Pak coalition, names candidate against Zardari
Afzal Khan writes from Islamabad

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Monday pulled out of the four-party ruling coalition on differences over restoration of judges and the presidential election.

It also named its own candidate for the president, former chief justice Saeeduzzama Siddiqui to challenge PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari. Siddiqui refused Musharraf's orders to take fresh oath under his Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) in 2000 after a petition challenging his October 1999 coup against Sharif was admitted by the Supreme Court led by Siddiqui.

The rupture in the five-month old coalition between two most popular parties and one-time bitter rivals in the 1990s came only a week after they had joined hands to successfully oust former President Pervez Musharraf, who resigned last week under the threat of impeachment. The exit of one of the two main components of the coalition at such an early stage after a promising start, throws the country into a new phase of instability and uncertainty.

“It is with great pain and sorrow that we have been left with no option but to quit the coalition because of breach of trust and Asif Zardari's repeated backtracking on solemn written pledges,” PML-N chief and former premier Nawaz Sharif announced at a crowded news conference.

The coalition had almost collapsed last week after Zardari reneged on his written commitment to restore judges within 24 hours after Musharraf's impeachment or resignation. Without being specific, Zardari cited extraneous factors and some commitments he had to make (to the army and the US), that forced Musharraf to resign.

But top leaders of two smaller partners, Asfandyar Wali Khan of ANP and Maulana Fazlur Rehman of JUI bought 72 more hours for mediation and hammered out an understanding providing for introduction of a resolution in Parliament declaring as void Musharraf's November 3 action of imposition of emergency and sacking of 60 judges of superior courts. The resolution was to be followed up by an executive order reinstating deposed judges, most likely on Wednesday.

But Zardari surprised everybody by becoming his PPP's official candidate for President without consulting coalition partners. The Election Commission, ostensibly acting on Zardari's bidding, announced a tight schedule requiring filing of nomination papers by Tuesday. It proved the proverbial last straw and convinced Sharif that he was being squeezed in a dicey political game by Zardari. On Saturday, he advanced the deadline for adoption of the restoration on judges by Monday or revising the election schedule till the judges' issue was settled.

Zardari rejected both saying he could not give any time frame for restoration of judges and that the matter would be debated in Parliament. There were strong indications that the MQM and some PPP MPs had plans to prolong the debate and also attack Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.

The PPP parliamentary party at a meeting today made half hearted attempt to avert the inevitable by urging the PML-N not to quit the alliance and believe Zardari's assurances that judges would be restored in due time. Sharif's announcement also puts in jeopardy his brother Shahbaz Sharif's coalition government in Punjab where the PPP is the second major partner.

Meanwhile, the PML-Q named Mushahid Hussain Sayed,, former information minister in Nawaz Sharif’s government, as its presidential candidate.