ISLAMABAD — Washington intervened in Pakistan's political crisis yesterday, delivering a strong message of concern over political infighting as the country's coalition government headed to the brink of collapse.
Richard Boucher, U.S. assistant secretary of state, met in London with Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, the heads of Pakistan's two main governing parties, to try to agree on a formula for the restoration of the judges fired by President Pervez Musharraf in November.
Before flying back to Pakistan yesterday, a despondent Mr. Sharif conceded: “There is deadlock. … I think every Pakistani is disappointed with the outcome of these talks.”
Mr. Sharif had extended the original deadline for restoring the judges – his key promise in the February election – until today. Unless there is a last-minute deal, which looks unlikely, he has vowed to pull his ministers from the cabinet. That will throw the government into chaos, not least because the Finance Minister – a member of Mr. Sharif's party – was due to announce the federal budget shortly.
Although Mr. Sharif has said that he will still support the government in parliament on an issue-by-issue basis, for now, in the hope that the judges issue will still be resolved, the move would renew the cleavage in Pakistani politics.
Mr. Zardari's only alternative coalition partners to maintain a majority in parliament are parties allied with Mr. Musharraf.
Mr. Zardari insists that the judges appointed by Mr. Musharraf to replace those he fired must be retained and that an act of parliament is required to bring the others back. Mr. Sharif maintains that the dismissal of the judiciary was illegal and so no legislation is required to undo it. This is important, as going the legislative route implies that Mr. Musharraf's actions were legal.
U.S. officials denied that Mr. Boucher was mediating or imposing a solution on the Pakistani leaders regarding the judicial issue itself. But Western diplomats say he expressed deep frustration over the way the six-week-old Pakistani government has entangled itself in a constitutional wrangle, neglecting other pressing issues.
“The message is, ‘Get on with it,' ” one Western diplomat said. “There's a major energy crisis, food price [increases] and terrorism.”
Pakistan has been hit by a crippling electricity shortage and a spike in food prices that is threatening to cause civil unrest. It is also confronted with an insurgency by local and international violent extremists.
Special to The Globe and Mail
