The legalities of the situation will of course be hotly debated and contested. Already there are arguments for and against. The central point in this situation, however, is that the intent behind the case was never legal; it was a pressure tactic used by the Central government to keep the brothers Sharif in line. When they refused to go along, the PPP pulled the plug on them. And it was easy because, given the Sharifs’ campaign for the restoration of the judges, the interest of the post-November 3 (2007) judiciary converged with that of the ruling PPP.

Predictably, the PPP has had to up-end the political arrangement in the Punjab through proclamation of Governor’s Rule, to prepare itself to put together the headcount necessary for taking over the province politically — which they hope to do with members from the PMLQ.

They could have pulled out of the coalition and left the PMLN looking for allies to sustain its government; but the younger Sharif might even have survived by reaching out to the PMLQ.

The PPP argues that it has nothing to do with the decision which has been handed down by the SC. Yeah, sure, say observers.

The PMLN is out in the cold now. It remains defiant but defiance does not per se mean a strategy to get back in the game. The party would need to translate its rhetoric, of standing by its principles even at the cost of losing Punjab, into a viable political strategy. It could play politics within the given, or take to the street and create problems for the government. The best strategy for it would be to combine the two options rather than opting for an “either/ or” approach.

... contd.