No deal reached on judges

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Political leaders failed yesterday to reach a deal on restoring the judges removed by President Pervez Musharraf, increasing the likelihood that the ruling coalition could shatter after just six weeks in power and plunge the country back into political turmoil.

Negotiators from the two main ruling parties held talks in London throughout the weekend, ahead of today’s self-imposed deadline to resolve the issue. But officials said last night that they were heading back to Pakistan without a deal.

Representatives of the junior party, that of ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said members would meet today to consider whether to stay in the coalition. The party has already threatened to quit the Cabinet.

Mr. Sharif’s brother, Shahbaz, said both sides had made sincere efforts to come to an agreement, and he downplayed the possibility of an all-out opposition stand.

“We will support the government issue to issue. We will not let the government destabilize,” he said.

Husain Haqqani, one of the negotiators for the larger party, that of Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said the two sides “are still trying to take this matter to a satisfactory conclusion.”

Mr. Musharraf removed the judges and declared emergency rule in November to halt legal challenges to his presidency. Anti-Musharraf parties came to power after winning February elections and promised to restore the judges, but they have quibbled over the mechanics.

Mr. Sharif, who was removed by Mr. Musharraf in a 1999 coup, has pushed for the president’s ouster and demanded outright restoration of the deposed judges. A return of the judges could increase pressure on Mr. Musharraf, long a U.S. ally in the war on terrorism, to step down if the courts decide to revisit his eligibility for office.

But Mr. Zardari, who has been less harsh toward Mr. Musharraf, has linked the judges’ reinstatement to broader judicial reforms.

The two parties already missed an April 30 deadline to resolve the matter. Mr. Sharif later said the parties would introduce a parliamentary resolution to restore the jurists on May 12.

Information Minister Sherry Rehman, a key Zardari aide, said yesterday that her party would try to work with Mr. Sharif’s even if the formal relationship breaks down.

“Our commitment is really to the people of Pakistan, not just to each other,” Ms. Rehman said. “If for some reason they decide to leave the coalition, we will try to continue to have a stable and good relationship.”