That didn’t last long, did it? Pakistan’s main coalition parties, the PPP and the PML(N), had banded together to drive Musharraf out of office, but one day after his departure, disagreements over the restoration of the 60 judges that Musharraf sacked in November have threatened to tear the coalition apart. Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the PML(N), made the restoration of the judges the pillar of his party’s platform. In fact, he withdrew his party’s cabinet ministers in May to protest the PPP’s foot-dragging on the matter. The Parties had agreed in March to restore the judges, as indicated by the six-point Murree Declaration, but the PPP waffled on that promise. Here was point 2:
2-This has been decided in today’s summit between the PPP and the PML (N) that the deposed judges would be restored, on the position as they were on November 2, 2007, within 30 days of the formation of the federal government through a parliamentary resolution.
Now, Sharif has apparently walked out of a meeting on the subject, because the PPP is reportedly again wavering. He was said to have left the meeting and driven four hours to his home in Lahore, but not before issuing a 72-hour deadline. If the parties can’t reach an agreement in that timeframe, Sharif has threatened to pull out of the coalition. Yikes! Zardari fears that the corruption charges against him, which were wiped out by the National Reconciliation Ordinance that Musharraf signed in October 2007, might be fair game if the deposed Chief Justice is restored. He apparently prefers the current makeup of the Supreme Court, which is packed with judges loyal to Musharraf and which he thinks will let the NRO stand.
Meanwhile, another suicide bombing outside of a hospital in the town of Dera Ismail Khan killed 26 people and wounded at least 35. The judges issue is obviously important, but It’d also be nice if the coalition could get down to…you know…governing.
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