SHARIF QUITS THE COALITION IN PAKISTAN.

Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan has pulled his party (the Pakistan Muslim League-N) out of the Pakistani ruling coalition, citing the fact that Pakistan People's Party Leader Asif Ali Zardari has failed to reinstate judges ousted by former President Pervez Musharraf. This isn't just a matter of principle; Zardari is hesitating because the judges may overturn an amnesty on corruption charges that enabled Zardari to return to Pakistan last year.

In other words, if the PPP reinstated the judges, Zardari, who is his party's nominee for president, could be indicted, opening a path to power for Sharif. As it stands, Blake Hounshell at Passport notes that the PPP retains a majority coalition in Parliament, even without the PML-N (but not enough to establish himself as prime minister), although the balance of power could easily change, given current instability in Pakistan.

--A. Serwer