Just a matter of time I say ...

Divisions emerge in Pakistan's ruling coalition

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Just a day after Pervez Musharraf's resignation, Pakistan's governing coalition fell into wrangling Tuesday over restoring the judges he fired, exposing troublesome divisions that could disrupt picking his successor as president.

Pakistanis have been urging the government to set aside political bickering and tackle extremist violence and economic downturn — challenges underscored Tuesday by a bombing outside a hospital and new battles between the army and militants.

But, as it has for months, the issue of judges revealed itself as a severe strain in the alliance between the two main parties that won February parliamentary elections after running against Musharraf.

The one-time military ruler was believed to be in his army-guarded residence near the capital, Islamabad. Analysts speculated Musharraf wants guarantees against criminal prosecution or forced exile, but Law Minister Farooq Naek said "no deal" had been reached.

The U.S.-backed leader reluctantly ended his nine-year presidency Monday in the face of the ruling coalition's move to impeach him in Parliament.

With the constitution requiring the election of a new president by Parliament within 30 days, the governing parties must quickly agree on a replacement or risk a damaging power struggle.

But the sharp disagreement over how to reinstate Supreme Court justices removed by Musharraf last year raised questions about the coalition's stability.

Musharraf purged the court in an attempt to avoid legal challenges to his rule, but the maneuver only deepened his unpopularity, propelling his rivals to victory in the elections.

It also turned the judges into controversial political players.

The ruling coalition was founded on a pledge to restore the justices quickly. But while former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has pushed hard to get them back on the bench, the leader of the coalition's biggest bloc, Asif Ali Zardari, has stalled their restoration.

After a four-hour meeting with Zardari on Tuesday, Sharif and his senior party lieutenants abruptly walked out, jumping into a convoy of cars without announcing any progress.

Ahsan Iqbal, a senior member of Sharif's party, said he was hopeful an agreement was days away, saying Pakistan could not afford the breakup of the alliance.

"It's not an option for any coalition partner to default on the understanding and agreement we have made, not only among ourselves but to the nation," he said.

However, Farahnaz Ispahani of Zardari's Pakistan Peoples Party said only that it hoped to "be further along with this conversation" by Friday and that two smaller parties in the alliance also had to be on board.

"We will do it in a way we did with Musharraf. Everyone will be in agreement," she said, pleading for patience from the public.

The issue is fraught with political calculations.

The former Supreme Court supported efforts by Sharif, whose government was ousted in Musharraf's 1999 takeover, to return from exile last year.

But the justices also had agreed to hear challenges to a presidential order that killed corruption cases against Zardari and his since-assassinated wife, former premier Benazir Bhutto. The order was part of Musharraf's failed effort to form a pro-Western power-sharing deal with Bhutto.

In addition, the coalition must keep in mind the nation's lawyers, whose protests in support of the justices played a major role in eroding Musharraf's popularity.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jIE0IUn...H5RXzgD92LHA6O0




Cracks appear in Pakistan's ruling coalition

Cracks appeared in Pakistan's ruling coalition yesterday as a bomb killed 25 civilians outside a hospital, highlighting the daunting problems facing the country after Pervez Musharraf's resignation as President on Monday.

Coalition leaders met for several hours in Islamabad to discuss whether to prosecute Mr Musharraf, who should replace him and how to tackle the nation's dire economic and security problems.

Negotiations stalled over the thorny question of whether to reinstate the judges whom Mr Musharraf dismissed last year when he imposed emergency rule to ensure his re-election.

Sherry Rehman, the Information Minister, said that no progress had been made in talks between the leaders of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and two smaller coalition partners.

Asif Ali Zardari, the PPP leader and Benazir Bhutto's widower, and Nawaz Sharif, the PML (N) leader, had promised to reinstate all the dismissed judges after Mr Musharraf's departure. Mr Sharif remains determined to reappoint them all.

Mr Zardari is reluctant to reinstate Iftikhar Chaudhury, the former Chief Justice, in case he overturns the amnesty from corruption charges that Mr Musharraf granted PPP leaders last year.

Their disagreement threatens to leave a power vacuum in Pakistan, the West's key Muslim ally in the War on Terror, as al-Qaeda and Taleban militants increase their activities on the border with Afghanistan. It could even lead to another realignment of political forces, threatening further instability in the mostly Muslim country of 165 million people.

A senior official of the pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League (Q) told The Times that talks were under way with the PML (N) for the reunification of the two factions, which split in 1999. A formal merger is not possible under a law against floor-crossing in Parliament but there is a strong possibility of them aligning against the PPP.

The PPP and PML (N) have traditionally been rivals and disagree on most main domestic and foreign policy issues. While Mr Zardari is more Western-oriented and favours continuing Mr Musharraf's co-operation in the War on Terror, Mr Sharif has more conservative social views and wants to review pro-American policies. The PML (Q) has a similar outlook.

There is likely to be additional confrontation on the question of who replaces Mr Musharraf.

The PPP is determined to have its own man as president but PML (N) sources said that the two PML factions could unite to block Mr Zardari if he decides to stand for the job.

A new president must be elected within 30 days by an electoral college made up from the national Parliament and the four provincial assemblies.

In the meantime the country will remain rudderless as it faces high inflation, power shortages and increasing violence in its northern tribal areas.


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/worl...icle4568815.ece

USA is not giving up.
COAS's visit to Kabul was a part of same game.
Zardari is being threatened.
he has to blindly believe in Nawaz to go ahead.

No point in draging US in everyone and their mother's affair.

Reality is that these clowns are far too incompetent to run a "thela" (road side stall) let alone a country.

Here i tought htey'd last 6 months ... looks like i was too optamistic