Opposition withdraws from Cabinet over judges

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ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - Ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced yesterday his party was withdrawing from the Cabinet, raising doubts over the government's stability and Pakistan's transition to democracy after eight years of military rule.

Mr. Sharif said, however, that the party will still support the six-week-old coalition government despite disagreeing with its main partner over the restoration of judges fired by President Pervez Musharraf.

Both parties appear reluctant to sever ties, and the civilian government led by the party of Asif Ali Zardari is likely to survive in the short term.

Mr. Sharif said he was "very pained" at the decision.

"We will sit together for the time being; we are not going to sit on the opposition benches for the time being," he said. "We will not take any step which will benefit Musharraf's dictatorship."

Asked whether his party would still support the government on all matters, he said it will make decisions on an "issue-by-issue" basis. He said ministers from his party will meet today with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and hand in their resignations.

Both Mr. Sharif and Mr. Zardari's parties have called for the reinstatement of dozens of judges removed by Mr. Musharraf when he declared a state of emergency in November to forestall a Supreme Court ruling on his eligibility for office. But the parties disagree on how to do it, and weekend negotiations in London failed to produce a deal.

Mr. Zardari wants to link the judges' reinstatement to broader judicial reforms that could restrict the chief justice's tenure. Complex legal and political issues, including the status of the judges Mr. Musharraf installed after the purge, also proved to be stumbling blocks to a deal.

"It makes the political horizon very uncertain," retired Gen. Talat Masood, an analyst, said of the impasse between the two parties. "It is a setback for democracy. It is a setback for stability."

Mr. Zardari's party responded to Mr. Sharif's announcement with a conciliatory statement, saying there is "no doubt that the sacked judges have to be restored ... the only question is how best to do it."

Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for Mr. Zardari's Pakistan People's Party, said the PPP will not fill the Cabinet vacancies left by Mr. Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League and will try to resolve the issue "amicably."