Nawaz Sharif

By Imran Khan in Asia on January 3rd, 2011
Most Pakistanis are frustrated with political machinations and want democracy to work [AFP]

The news that the key ally in Pakistan's coalition government has pulled out of the already fragile coalition, comes as a surprise to exactly ... no one.

In quitting government the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, or the MQM, is playing a game that is regular feature of Pakistani politics.

It's game of brinkmanship, when a political party uses its leverage to get what it wants. Normally it picks a popular issue and uses that as an excuse to put pressure on the government. In this case it's fuel prices.

We have seen this before.

After the election in 2008, this was a government built on uneasy alliances. Making up the government were the big victors - the Pakistan People's Party. Then came the smaller parties: the Pakistan Muslim League-N led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, a loose affiliation of religious parties, and the MQM.

By Imran Khan in Asia on September 28th, 2010
EPA photo

The rumour mill is in overdrive. Yousef Raza Gilani, the Pakistan prime minister, risks defying a court order, and the supreme court is flexing its muscles. It's high noon in Pakistan and the showdown, due in the supreme court on October 13, is putting immense pressure on the government.
 
Once again, the government is in crisis. This time it's over a case the government claims has technically been closed. It involves alleged money laundering through Switzerland by Asif Ali Zardari, the country's president, before he became president.
 
Supporters of the government say he has presidential immunity and therefore he is free from prosecution. Not so, says the supreme court, as the allegation's date from before his time as leader.
 
The supreme court wants the Pakistani PM to write a letter to the Swiss authorities demanding that they reopen the case. So far the PM has not written the letter.

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