“His resignation will bring stability hopefully,” said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. He noted that the stock market, which had suffered in recent sessions, had reacted positively.

Aitzaz Ahsan, the leader of a lawyers’ movement that has been pushing for Musharraf’s ouster and the reinstatement of 57 dismissed judges, said the resignation was a cause “to rejoice”.

The governing coalition that engineered the ouster of Musharraf must now face a range of potential problems, minus the main factor that unified it — opposing him.

Zardari and Sharif will have to reach an agreement on the choice for the next President. So far, there are few clues about the contenders.

A more immediate challenge is the judiciary, which Musharraf tried to weaken over its opposition to his rule as both Pakistan’s military and civilian leader. Sharif has insisted on the reinstatement of the 57 Supreme and high court judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, after their dismissal under emergency rule last November. But Zardari holds that judges appointed during the emergency should also be retained.

Beyond that, the coalition will now hold sole responsibility to cope with a deteriorating economy and the continued threat from a resurgent Taliban. Musharraf lost popular support in Pakistan over efforts to contain the Taliban that were seen as appeasement toward the US.

“I think the political leaders have no excuse now,” said Rasul Baksh Rais, a political analyst who teaches political studies at Lahore University of Management Sciences. “They have to address the immediate issues like inflation and the long-term structural problems of Pakistani polity. They can’t use Musharraf as an excuse any more.”

Rais said that the departure of Musharraf was a “great moment and a great change”.

Since the general election in February, which brought the coalition to power, Pakistan had been in political limbo, he said, neither fully governed by the Parliament nor by the president, with the two sides in constant conflict. This led to paralysis during which little was achieved and the economy faltered, he said.

The announcement of plans to impeach Musharraf this month united a wide spectrum of Pakistani society. After his resignation on Monday, the country looked toward its future.

“Now, we can expect more normal politics,” said Nasim Zehra, a political analyst based in Islamabad. “Politics are inherently competitive, but the ruling-coalition partners are likely to stay together for a while.”

Chorus from west Good friend...Pak future is the key

•“We will continue to work with the Pak government and political leaders, urge them to redouble their focus on Pakistan’s future and its most urgent needs, including stemming extremism. (Musharraf) has been a friend to the US and one of the world’s most committed partners in war against terrorism, extremism.”

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, US Secretary of State

•“During Musharraf’s time we have seen a deepening of UK-Pak relations. We wish him well in the future. But relations between the UK and Pakistan don’t depend on individuals... we support measures that promote strong democratic institutions which lead to stability in Pakistan. “

GORDON BROWN, Spokesman for British PM

•“What kind of changes does this bring to the “war-on-terror” and the Afghan situation? I don’t expect any significant change for now. It is not a time for us to make predictions.”

YASUO FUKUDA, Japanese PM

•“We would like the next president and the Pak government to work together with respect for the institutions to address the many challenges facing Pakistan. “French Foreign Secretary

• “Russia hopes the resignation (of Musharraf) will have no negative consequences for political stability. And the situation will not leave the limits of the constitutional framework.

Russian Foreign Secretary