Our Confused Leaders

When Pakistan's four-party ruling alliance took power just under five months ago, there was hardly any parliamentary opposition left in the country. They had completely trounced the allies of former President Pervez Musharraf in the 18 February elections. But since then, their only success has been to force Mr Musharraf out of office. Other than that, the two largest parties in the alliance, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have been squabbling over one thing or another, leaving the country's worsening economic problems and a rising tide of Islamic militancy unattended. Analysts are now split over what the PML-N's decision to quit the alliance would mean for the future of the country. Some expect democracy to weaken and ultimately give in to the country's most powerful institution, the military. Others say the split may help the party in power, the PPP, to focus more clearly on problems at hand and also strike a new balance in its relations with an expanded opposition.