NATIONAL issues of Pakistan are being resolved on the sly with recurrent interference of foreign hands. Deadline announcements have been used to buy time to have backdoor negotiations. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) quit the Cabinet after reaching a deadlock with its coalition partner, Pakistan People's Party (PPP), over the modalities of restoring the judges. Thus, so far, it has not become part of the opposition in parliament. However, there is much less hope that PML-N would unite again with PPP. The ministries vacated by the PML-N would be filled within no time since there won't be the vexed issue of the restoration of judges to prolong the waiting game. Among the coalition partners the power-sharing formula in the federal Cabinet has been almost finalized and will be announced in a day or two. According to this formula, every coalition partner would get one federal ministry for six seats. All the coalition partners - PML-N, PPP, JUI-F, and MQM - have agreed to this power sharing. Certainly, judges would be restored but not according to the wishes of PML-N or the masses of restoration movement. It would be resolved in a wider package of constitutional reforms that would limit the powers of the judges and president as well. This situation has brought the nation back to square one. The gap between PML-N and PPP has given a lease of life to pro-Musharraf parties which were defeated in the elections. The beneficiary of this split is the “Establishment.” So, now the same old PML-Q faces would be back in the Cabinet. This would only foment instability. Although, Zardari has stated that he would not destabilize the Punjab government, but - of late - he has rarely stuck to his statements. The recent Muree Declaration was no more than a political announcement. Hence, it can be expected that the Punjab government is also under risk. MQM also wants to be a part of federal government and other coalition partners like ANP and JUI-F have kept quiet in favor of PPP. These all make the PML-N position vulnerable. No doubt, at this time the issue of the judiciary is no more than the issue of reinstatement of those judges who were dismissed on November 2. PML-N intends to take revenge on President Musharraf by supporting the issue. Many analysts agree on specific raison d'êtres to delay the judges, restoration. First reason is President Musharaf, who has recently indicated that Article 58 2-B option can be used to reinstate judges. After that it would not be a good idea for the administration to knock at the door of the court as there are already those judges sitting there. NRO is also a big hurdle. The legal advisors of PPP assumed that the petition to review NRO would be submitted to the court as a result of the restoration of Iftikhar Ahmed Choudhry. Consequently, Zardari would have to leave Pakistan all over again. There are some legal intricacies as well in the path to the restoration of judges. The government believes that the judges would be reinstated by an executive order after a resolution. But this executive order could be challenged within seconds in the court. And certainly the court would give the verdict against the executive order. This situation would lead to further complications. Some sources assert that the legal advisors of the President's House have prepared petition in advance against the expected executive order. All this proves the good homework from President's House, but incidents to break deadlines after the Murree Declaration prove that there was no groundwork done by PML-N and PPP. In fact, Nawaz Sharif should have understood from the beginning that Zardari is not keen to realize the PML-N goals of the mandate by dint of which it won the polls. Though, Zardari has his own personal and legal compulsions but, his efforts at political reconciliations are admirable. The nation needs political stability instead of politics of revenge. But today the whole country is hostage to the interests and politics of three individuals - Pervez Musharraf, Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari. Iftikhar Ahmed Chaudhry - who became a rallying point for most of Pakistani lawyers, political parties and social activists last year who were opposed to President Musharraf - has also suffered dents in his popularity. Now millions of poor Pakistanis appear to be far more concerned with alarming situation and are hoping that the new government will sort out Pakistan's economic problems soon. __
