After two humiliating defeats, one on the issue of the restoration of deposed judges and the other on the Governor's Rule in Punjab, the PPP is in pretty bad shape. The setbacks have weakened the position of Co-Chairman Zardari, demoralised the party rank and file and caused divisions within it, which are coming out into the open now. While the party leadership tries to keep up a brave face, it has lost initiative. Few would buy the story that the Mr Zardari had really wanted to reinstate the deposed judges after the retirement of former CJ Dogar. PPP's top lawyers close to Mr Zardari are on record saying that there was no constitutional way to restore the judges other than their taking a fresh oath from Justice Dogar and that restoration through the executive order as suggested by Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan was simply unlawful. They had to eat a humble pie when Prime Minister Gilani reinstated the judges through an executive order. The most important problem faced by the PPP is the lack of a credible leader at the top. Whatever role Mr Zardari has played in politics in the past was forced on him by the circumstance of being the husband of a charismatic national leader. Before Benazir's death however he remained only a marginal player. He was never known for being a thoughtful or a widely read person. On account of his lengthy incarceration he was deprived of the opportunity for grooming through practical participation in politics. This explains why Benazir did not assign him any important task. He was nowhere in sight when the CoD was being discussed or when talks with other parties were held. The tragic departure of Benazir brought Zardari suddenly into the limelight. The goodwill he initially enjoyed both as president and PPP co-chairman was exhausted by him within months through bad decisions. He put cronies in key positions while ignoring more talented party leaders, thus creating dissatisfaction within the PPP. His opposition to the restoration of deposed judges was resented by many party leaders as it alienated important sections of the society which had generally supported the PPP in the past, including the legal community and civil society. The way he went back on solemn agreements with a brazen face brought the PPP, PML-N alliance crashing down. This weakened the ruling alliance. Within a year doubts began to be expressed about the ability of the ruling coalition to complete its tenure. The decision to bring the ISI under the Interior Ministry taken abruptly had to be withdrawn under the army's pressure. Another decision to send the ISI chief to India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks had to be withdrawn under similar conditions. The COAS again intervened because Mr Zardari was not willing to change position on the issue of restoration. The imposition of the Governor's Rule was the next blunder by Mr Zardari. This widened the differences within the PPP with one section comprising of the president's cronies defending the action and demanding setting up of a PPP-led government in the province while another led by PM Gilani openly opposing the Governor's Rule. The president's men tried to create a forward block in the PML-N and sought Q-League's support but failed to make any headway. The over a month long crisis in Punjab created by Mr Zardari's imposition of the Governor's Rule further isolated the PPP while it increased polarisation within the party. Meanwhile differences between the president and the prime minister have come out into the open. Mr Gilani has conceded that the party leadership's strategy to capture Punjab has failed. He wants action against those who had authored the plan. Responding to the president's remark that some forces did not want a PPP hold in Punjab, the prime minister said on Tuesday "I am the force that wanted the majority party to form the government in the province." The get-Punjab plan has backfired. The PPP which was a part of the government in the province is out in the cold. The provincial parliamentary party is divided over whether to seek re-alliance with the PML-N or sit on the opposition benches. The party cannot decide till the co-chairman who is visiting Turkey in his capacity as president returns. Whether the party can maintain unity under the circumstances remains an open question. Thanks to Mr Zardari's lack of perception other crucial issues keep hanging fire. The president's visit to Quetta had roused hopes of announcements of groundbreaking decisions to bring peace to the province. A visionless Zardari had however nothing to offer to the people of Balochistan. E-mail: azizuddin@nation.com.pk