PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari has conceded that his party's stance on retaining the PCO judges goes against the spirit of the Charter of Democracy for which it is paying a big political price. But he has yet to realise that every move he makes is not only weakening the fledgling coalition but also putting the future of his own party in jeopardy. Not just that. He is being seen giving a new lease of life to General Musharraf's moribund presidency. By going back on his commitment on the judges' issue that led the PML-N to quit the federal cabinet and then nominating Salman Taseer as Governor Punjab he has become part of the conspiracy to destabilise the system and thwart efforts to revive the rule of law. First thing first. After a lot of dilly-dallying the fresh position taken by Mr Zardari is that the deposed judges would be reinstated through a resolution to be adopted by a joint sitting of the two houses of parliament. So far so good. But there would be few takers for his assertion that retaining the judges who had taken oath under the November 3 PCO would be in line with the Bhurban Declaration since it has no mention of disturbing the current judiciary. This is simply ridiculous. It's more like ending distinction between the judges who were sacked by General Musharraf for rejecting the Proclamation of Emergency and those who took oath under the PCO. It would be perceived as a crafty manoeuvre to validate the November 3 proclamation and other illegal actions taken by the president. More so, a signal to the judiciary to continue to act as a Bonapartist agent. That there was no such clause in the Bhurban Declaration about retaining the PCO judges is substantiated by the fact that Mr Zardari had put this proposal at the Dubai round of talks between the coalition leadership. Mian Nawaz acquiesced in the suggestion but publicly admitted that he had made a compromise to ensure the reinstatement of the deposed judges. Maybe he can be blamed for backing out of his commitment but he was well within his rights to do so after the PPP leader had let the mutually agreed deadline expire. Mr Zardari is using twisted logic when he says that the unconstitutional removal of judges cannot be rectified by another unconstitutional act of reinstating them through a notification. So does his sidekick - Rehman Malik - who keeps parroting after him that "two wrongs can't make a right." One wonders what make them think so when General Musharraf is on record as having conceded that his November 3 action was not constitutional. Isn't it like being more loyal to the king than he would have expected them to be? But then the PPP co-chairman is doing exactly what any other wily politician in his position would have done. The unlocking of the accrued gains coming his way through the National Reconciliation Ordinance would obviously prevent him from taking one "wrong" decision and getting himself relegated to his much tainted past. Mr Zardari tried to trivialise the issue by telling the media that it was due to his own "political weaknesses" that he failed to convince Mian Nawaz about the PPP's position on the judges' issue. Perhaps what he can't share with his coalition partner is his fear about Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry getting restored and striking down the dubious NRO. This explains his linking the reinstatement of the deposed judges with the constitutional package to make the issue drag out for months. It's a strange paradox that he keeps reiterating his stance about punishing the judges for validating the military takeovers but at the same time opposes the restoration of the judiciary that had challenged Musharraf's unconstitutional act. Mian Nawaz in the prevailing situation has nothing to lose. Rather he understands that it would be General Musharraf to suffer if he tries to push the country towards mid-term elections. Zardari's dilemma is that he doesn't want to follow the establishment's advice to join hands with the forces whom he has all along been blaming for plotting his wife's murder. But at the same time he is doing everything that could lead to the situation where the ruling coalition is bound to collapse. Notwithstanding his repeated assertions that he would hold the coalition together at all costs, he can be seen acting as the presidency's "agent provocateur." This became more evident from Mr Salman Taseer's appointment as Punjab Governor. The decision is obviously meant to create troubles for the PML-N's provincial government and has exposed Mr Zardari's so-called sincerity about keeping the coalition intact. While playing second fiddle to the cantankerous presidency he's not only causing problems for his coalition partners but has also brought the PPP into disrepute. There's a question mark hanging over his ability to lead the party that now stands more divided than it was at anytime in the past. E-mail: sarmad@nation.com.pk