With PML-N miniters withdrawing from cabinet, but Nawaz claiming that the PML-N will not act to strengthen Musharraf, and will continue to support the PPP coalition from the back benches on an issue-by-issue basis, what comes next for Pakistani politics?
The PPP is unlikely to call for early elections and will probably try and last through the life of this parliament in the hope that by the time of the next election they can show results that will lead to votes being cast for them again. I doubt the PML-N, PML-Q, and MQM would ever unite to stop PPP plans, so the PPP may be able to successfully rule through playing off the leading 3 non-government parties against each other.
The restoration of judges itself strikes me as unlikely. The PML-N was unwilling to support the PPP’s judges plan as part of government, they would be unlikely to support the plan from the backbenches either.
The bright spot may be that free from having to haggle about judges with a reluctant PML-N, the PPP might just be able to get on with ruling the country now, and deal with real issues such as terrorism and food / oil price inflation.