THE present judicial crisis has been produced by the very body that should have done its best to prevent it occurring, and which has the power to avert it in other words, the federal government. The federal government seemed willing to let the judicial business of the state grind to a halt while the Supreme Court considered the 18th Amendment case, and specifically the constitutionality of the commission for judicial appointments which was supposed to determine whether or not, among other things, ad hoc judges due for confirmation would receive it or not. As a result of inaction by the federal government, the Supreme Court was obliged to order that ad hoc judges would continue to work until the decision of the case. The carefree attitude of the federal government is shown by its meeting, which was chaired by the Prime Minister, and also attended by Senator Reza Rabbani, who chaired the multipartisan parliamentary committee which initially produced the commission formula. Senator Rabbani suggested the passage of an enabling resolution by Parliament in a joint session. However, Law Minister Babar Awan, who is accounted close to President Asif Zardari, refused to take this way out, and preferred to stay on the path of confrontation. It would seem that the government was less concerned about a successful justice system than about scoring cheap debating points off the Supreme Court. If one pillar of the state, the Legislature, does not support the Judiciary because of the stranglehold the third, the Executive, has over it; people have a right to demand constitutional rule, and to support the Judiciary against the Executive. If the government does not avert a constitutional confrontation by accepting the role of the judiciary as a check upon it, the consequences for the state itself would be disastrous. The Executive, in the form of the government, should realise the Judiciary carries out executive functions because the Executive itself has not fulfilled its responsibilities, and it should not be put in this position.