Nawaz Sharif has put himself on a moral high horse by exposing the deceit of his political ally, Asif Ali Zardari, and withdrawing from the ruling coalition in Pakistan. The drastic step came when it became evident to the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) that there was nothing he could do to stop the co-chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party from reneging once again on his promise of restoring the sacked judges. It was perhaps only natural for Mr Sharif to carry out his threat of withdrawal, repeated ad nauseam over months. By finally taking the plunge, Mr Sharif has ensured that he has even less chance than before of pushing through the issue that had been one of the cardinal points of the Muree Declaration. His politics of brinkmanship is as ill-suited to the practice of democracy as his opponent’s politics of might. Both leaders, in their individual ways, have undermined the mandate given to them by the people. The restoration of the judges can only be a symbolic move to assure the judiciary its independence if the restoration happens without a larger debate on the issue. This the PML(N) has circumvented by its obstinacy, and the PPP by its truancy.

The events of the past few days show up the dangerous self-obsession of Pakistan’s political leaders. The alarming rise in terrorist activities within the state that is now threatening to take on a sectarian colouring (if the recent Shia killings in Khurram and Dera Ismail Khan are any indication), the incessant bloodshed and the economic crises have not distracted the leaders from their single-minded pursuit of their own narrow agendas. It is nothing short of the presidency for Mr Zardari now. For Mr Sharif, it continues to be punishment for the just-deposed president, Pervez Musharraf. The haggling over the judges threw up some surprises too. Mr Zardari has admitted that he considers no words sacrosanct beyond those of the holy book. He has even gone on to confess, in his apology to the PML(N) for his obduracy, that there are “truths” he cannot tell the nation, and there are “friends” within the country and abroad who continue to influence matters of policy. It is deeply ironic that after what seemed like a successful democratic transition, Pakistan has a prime minister who does someone else’s bidding, and would soon have a president who will behave in the same way. And that the words of the constitution will have no power over him.