Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari last Monday signed into law constitutional amendments stripping him of his main powers and handing them to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and parliament. Gilani has become Pakistan's most powerful prime minister since the 1990s with the reforms. The reforms, passed unanimously by both houses of parliament, should go some way to disarm Zardari's many critics and contribute to political stability. Now that tension is likely to ease, Pakistanis will expect their government to focus on a range of pressing issues that have been overshadowed by politics. Pakistan's reforms should contribute to stability. The changes, which Zardari backed, reverse amendments introduced by military rulers and bolster parliamentary rule. The main amendments see Zardari losing the power to dissolve parliament and appoint top armed forces chiefs and judges. The changes have been a long-standing demand of most political parties, including Zardari's and his main opponents. Pakistani financial markets welcome the changes which are seen as contributing to stability and helping confidence, analysts say. Zardari retains much influence as head of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Gilani is seen as a loyal party man and while there is a possibility of differences between him and the president, they are likely to be a result of contrasting personality and style, not disputes over policy. zardari is not out of the woods. He has many critics and he is still expected to face legal challenges to his eligibility to have stood for office in 2008 because of old graft charges he says were politically motivated. A protracted legal battle could raise political tension but even if he was forced to step down, his PPP would put forward a new candidate who should get elected as the party and its allies dominate parliament and the four provincial assemblies, which elect the president. The Al-Qaeda-backed Pakistani Taliban are determined to topple the government, staging suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of people despite gains in military offensives against extremist strongholds. Gilani will have little say over the direction of the campaign against the militants, even though the reforms have put him in a stronger position. Pakistan's powerful army calls the shots and will continue to set security policy. Gilani also faces pressure from ally Washington to help stabilize Afghanistan by cracking down on Afghan Taliban operating from sanctuaries on the Pakistani side of the border. Pakistan has struggled to keep its economy afloat with the help of $11.3 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. The IMF program requires Pakistan to eliminate food and energy subsidies, increase electricity tariffs and improve revenue collection to tackle its fiscal imbalances. But such measures could lead to social unrest. So Gilani may have to rely on his trademark caution to steer his way through economic issues. Hours of crippling power outages each day are one of the biggest sources of frustrations for Pakistanis and they will be expecting Gilani to act. A lack of investment in plants, outdated grids and rampant electricity theft mean that some grid companies experience line losses of up to 30-40 percent, leading to power cuts that have triggered riots. The problem has hit key industries such as textiles, the country's main export earner, where jobs have been lost.
