Pakistan’s two-month-old ruling coalition faced its first major threat of survival today, with the Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N deciding to pull out its ministers from the government following a deadlock over the contentious issue of reinstating sacked judges.

The PML-N will, however, remain in the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-led coalition and extend issue-based support to the government, Sharif told a crowded press conference at the end of a marathon meeting of top party leaders here.

The PML-N ministers will submit their resignations to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani tomorrow. Sharif’s party has nine ministers in the 24-member Cabinet, which was sworn in on March 31.

“We are quitting the Cabinet because the promise to reinstate the judges was not fulfilled,” Sharif said while referring to the May 12 deadline which ended today. Sharif said he was “very pained” at the decision, and added his party “will not sit on opposition benches for the time being”.

The PML-N and PPP had held talks over the weekend in London for reinstating the judges, who were sacked by President Pervez Musharraf when he declared a state of emergency to forestall a Supreme Court ruling on his eligibility for office. While both have called for the reinstatement of the judges, they have disagreed on exactly how to do it.

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 Musharraf installed after the purge, have also proved stumbling blocks to a deal.

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