Pakistan in Media

Suddenly the PPP whose prime minister was elected unanimously by parliament just over 19 months ago finds itself desperately short of friends. In a move that may deliver the PPP a very big blow, the MQM has warned that it could reconsider remaining a part of the setup. The party's leader, in a typically fiery address to a rally in Skardu, has stressed that for him principle is more important than the NRO. It is not quite clear when this turnaround came about, given that initially the MQM had not seemed too concerned over the moral dilemmas the law posed, but the stance taken now puts President Zardari in what is an extremely tight spot indeed. It is this that has compelled him to take rather desperate measures and find some way of retaining the NRO and the protection it offers. For all the government's brave words about revealing the full list of NRO beneficiaries and the denial by several politicians that they are among these, Mr Zardari and his aides are obviously acutely concerned about what an environment stripped of the NRO could bring. Legal opinion varies, but many experts agree that at least some cases against the president and others could be reopened. The idea of the ball being thrown to the courts may not go down with the presidency either.

It is possibly for these reasons that some kind of last ditch effort seems to be on to find friends. The meeting between the president and side-lined PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan is just one manifestation of this. Mr Ahsan has reportedly been offered the post of attorney general or Punjab governor. Perhaps by bringing a respected leader of the lawyers' movement back to the PPP fold, Mr Zardari hopes to regain goodwill and end the state of isolation he finds himself in, with many members of his own party increasingly disgruntled. But the going will not be easy. The chorus of voices demanding the repeal of the 17th Amendment and the undoing of Article 58(2)(B) is rising. The president will almost inevitably find himself a toothless figure, even if he can retain his place at the presidency. The MQM will of course play a key role in this. It is one the party of Altaf Hussain is not unfamiliar with. One question is if its showdown with the president is prompted by other, behind-the-scene players who may be playing a part in the political soap opera that we now see unfolding before our eyes.