Pakistan's ruling coalition on verge of collapse

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-24 11:12

Sharif, ousted by Musharraf during his 1999 coup, also pushed up a middle-of-the week deadline for the restoration of judges fired by Musharraf late last year to avoid challenges to the former strongman's rule.

He wants an agreement by Monday that all, including former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, will be back on the bench, saying a surprise Sept. 6 presidential election date forced him to push up his deadline.

Zardari, though he wants the judges reinstated, is not quite as enthusiastic. Like Musharraf, he has accused Chaudhry of being too political, and says it should be up to parliament to decide.

Analysts say he also might fear that the former chief justice would revive corruption cases killed off by Musharraf as part of a failed effort to form a pro-Western power-sharing deal with Bhutto before her assassination.

The PPP, fearing the loss of its coalition partner, has already started seeking support from other smaller parties.

The crisis comes as Pakistan is increasingly threatened by extremist violence.

The ruling coalition, united primarily in their hatred of Musharraf, dabbled in peace talks with the militants soon after taking power five months ago, something the former president briefly tried as well.

But after limited success, they have increasingly relied on military force to try to beat back al-Qaida and Taliban-linked insurgents in the remote and rugged tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan.

The militants have responded with force in recent days.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for one of the country's deadliest-ever terrorist attacks, a twin suicide bombing at a massive government weapons complex that killed 67 people and injured more than 100 on Thursday.

On Saturday, a car packed with explosives rammed into a police station in Swat, a former tourist destination, killing six officers and injuring several, said local police official Mohib Ullahn.

A roadside bomb in the nearby village of Bari Kot killed one civilian and injured four, said Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the Taliban militants, threatening more violence unless the army stops operations against them.

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