Having declared that its authority flows from people's elected representatives, Pakistan's coalition government owes it to its electors to fulfill their expectations and ensure harmonious functioning, responsive governance and tackling terrorism and fundamentalism at the roots. It has assurances of support by the Army, which is gradually retreating from politics, if not winding up its corporate interests. Gen. Kayani has given clear indications that he has no intention of pursuing his own agenda -- as did his immediate predecessor, who wielded supreme authority and treated a docile parliament as a mere rubber stamp. Circumstances have brought together former enemies, who seem to realize that military dictators had exploited their disunity in order to perpetuate themselves and, at least for the present, they should remain together to keep the military out.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ought to be aware that a humiliated Gen. Musharraf, who refuses to step down despite a national demand for his ouster, is waiting to exploit the first sign of discord among the coalition partners so that he could extinguish the flame of democracy once again. Circumstances have never been as favourable for democracy to flourish – an unqualified mandate from the people to govern, popular enthusiasm about its success and a spirit of brotherhood among political parties to make it work after decades of blighted hopes and military repression.

At the same time, the new government cannot sidetrack the Murree agreement which forms the basis of the coalition and which clearly promises a resolution in the National Assembly within a month on reinstatement of the dismissed Supreme Court and High Court Judges, including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. Pakistan Muslim League (N)'s hatred of Musharraf is no secret and it is not prepared to compromise on its demand. Since the Pakistan People's Party seems to have second thoughts on the issue, it should talk it over with Nawaz Sharif and arrive at a modus operandi. But, the government cannot carry on with a judiciary packed with Musharraf cronies, which itself violated the Constitution by voluntarily carrying out a military dictator's orders. The honor of the dismissed judges has to be redeemed and this atrocity committed by the military ruler cannot be condoned. If differences over this issue are allowed to grow, that would not augur well for the government's stability.

President Musharraf, who is on Nawaz Sharif's hit list, appears to have developed confidence that the coalition may be moving away from its ideals, perhaps, because the PPP leadership seems to think that it is better to arrive at a modus vivendi with him. That is what the US Administration has been pleading with the new leadership because it needs Musharraf to be associated with its war on terror - regardless of the deceit he practiced - and to execute its strategy for the region. Benazir Bhutto might have come to an understanding with Washington to work with Musharraf but, after the failed first assassination attempt on her in Karachi and Gen. Musharraf's refusal to hold to account some of the cronies she had mentioned in her letter, she had turned clearly anti-Musharraf and wanted him to resign. Despite Nawas Sharif's uncompromising stand on his ouster, his ministers were sworn in by Musharraf though they wore black arms bands and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar refused to accompany him on his China visit.

The PPP may be trying the alternate route of clipping Musharraf's wings by depriving him of dictatorial power acquired, by virtue of the Provisional Constitution Order, by amending the Constitution. The king's Party, PML(Qaid) may find it difficult to oppose such a democratic move and join in amending the Constitution appropriately, reducing Musharraf to a titular head. To justify his continuance, Musharraf is painting a doomsday scenario: that in his absence the Americans would bomb terrorist infested tribal areas, take away the worst nuclear proliferators A. Q. Khan for questioning and scuttle the Gwadar port project being built with Chinese assistance. The fact is the even now the US is bombing targets in Waziristan and it does not want to expose the Khan affair because that would reveal its own complicity in Pakistan's nuclear programme. Coincidentally, China also wants Musharraf to stay and no government in Pakistan would venture to spoil relations with the "all weather" friend. Who actively helped in its nuclear weapons programme.

Mr. Geelani may not be a stop-gap Prime Minister after all, as some observers in Pakistan believe. He has begun well by outlining his government's short-term agenda to stabilize the law and order situation and deal with terrorism and fundamentalism. Long-term policies to improve economic performance, restructure the administration and ensure social justice to the people will take time to formulate, and will require consensus among the coalition partners. He may come up against entrenched feudal interests and organized mafia which enjoy considerable political clout and have contributed to Pakistan lagging behind in the development index.

The Army is contributing its mite by withdrawing its officers from civil administration and public sector undertakings, which were dominated by it during the Musharraf regime, Gen. Kayani has also ordered his officers not to meet politicians or be part of any political manipulations by them. It remains to be seen whether Kayani will also order the ISI to stop interfering in political activity behind-the-scenes and close down scores of camps it runs for training terrorists, including Taliban, for action in Afghanistan and Jammu and Kashmir, Gen Kayani, no doubt, broke the tradition established during decades of Army rule and reported directly to the elected Prime Minister and leaders of the parties in coalition including Asif Zardari and Nawas Sharif on the current security situation in the country. It is a good beginning, if sincere, of the Army taking the civilian leadership into confidence about military operations and that it would not take any significant decisions vis-à-vis the war on terror without consent of Parliament. The meeting came up with political policy guidelines to address the problems of terrorism and extremism through a comprehensive strategy "based on political engagement and economic development and backed by a credible military element".

Mr. Geelani and Mr. Nawaz Sharif cannot be faulted for offering an olive branch to those terrorists who realise the error of their ways and give up the gun and jihad and resume normal, peaceful lives. A parliamentary committee will now examine the issue and come up with its recommendations. The first thing for the Army is to abandon its enterprise of training and arming Taliban for action against the NATO and US forces in Afghanistan about which committees of the US Congress and the State Department have also complained in their reports. The second step, already initiated by the Prime Minister, is to scrap the Frontier Crimes Regulations and establish a civilized administration in the tribal areas and ensure their economic development. The third factor is political management; of dissuading parties of Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other fundamentalist outfits from openly supporting the Taliban and Al Qaeda and providing them hospitality and paraphernalia of terrorism. There is no need for the Bush Administration to panic because its policies have landed Afghanistan in a mess and enabled Taliban to control parts of the country. Mr. Geelani has clearly tempered his offer to terrorists "provided they lay down arms and embrace the path of peace".

Mr. Nawaz Sharif insists there will be no compromise on Gen. Musharraf stepping down and reinstatement of the judges. Musharraf acted with bias in not removing the disqualification on his seeking a third term as prime minister, on contesting elections and withdrawal of all cases against him. That would, perhaps, have mollified him. If the contemplated judicial reforms and constitutional amendment package goes though, a solution to the Judges Reinstatement problem would emerge and it may not be necessary to impeach Musharraf.

Wisdom demands that the coalition put together by Asif Zardari and widening its sweep to build a national consensus on issues of governance needed to administer an ethnically diverse country should be strengthened. The enemies of democracy and Gen. Musharraf will be all too happy if the Government gets embroiled in confrontation, setting aside issues demanding urgent attention loses cohesion and disintegrated.

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