The avoidable has happened. In other words, what could have been avoided or should not have taken place at all, has happened much sooner than expected.
Annoyed over not being able to even keep the extended deadline for the restoration of the deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan and the judges of the superior courts, the PML (N) high command in the first instance has withdrawn its Ministers from the Federal Cabinet of Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani. The PML (N) Federal Ministers have accordingly tendered their resignations though, according to some reports, PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari has asked the Prime Minister not to accept these resignations. He has also announced that these slots will remain vacant till some pleasant and positive development takes place.
The coalition partners did not differ on the restoration of the deposed judges. However, they had differences and reservations regarding modalities and modus operandi as how this was going to materialise smoothly without creating any new crisis afterwards.
If the deposed CJP and the judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan as well as of the four High Courts, whose number is around 40, are reinstated then what about the sitting CJP and the judges of the superior courts?
Judiciary and legal fraternity representatives have been clamouring that the deposed judges can be restored by the Prime Minister just through an executive order. This may be ormay not be possible. But even if the Prime Minister does so, as he is committed to restoration of the deposed judges like the coalition parties leaders, he cannot increase the strength of the superior courts to accommodate all the sitting and reinstated judges.
It is also being emphatically stated that the judges who have taken the oath under the PCO are not acceptable, then how the sitting judges are going to be adjusted. Meanwhile, the issue has resulted directly or indirectly to the ongoing vicious circle of the unabated price hike of essential articles. Daily kitchen expenses have gone out of control for most segments of the society including the white collared middle class people who are facing threat of extinction under the prevailing circumstances. Poverty is on the rise and the poor, hard pressed people are committing suicides as they cannot afford to feed their children.
National economy has been hit very hard with the new regime facing host of problems. And, all this was happening when the new Federal Budget for financial year 2008-09 was to be prepared and announced in the first week of June 2008. There is little time left to stem the tides.