Pervez Musharraf was left with no option on Monday but to put up a brave face in the wake of the severe setback that he has suffered in the immediate aftermath of the formation of a coalition.

His assurance to maintain what he calls "smooth and cordial" relations with the parties is a grudging acceptance of the joint decision of the PPP and PML(N) to reinstate the Supreme Court judges, including Chief Justice Iftiqar Chaudhry, who were sacked during the emergency last November.

To summon a worn-out cliche, Musharraf will have to eat humble pie.

The reinstatement poses a direct threat to the President; substantial is the risk that the Bench could now rule against his re-election. Indeed, the coalition has taken a hugely critical decision even before it has been able to agree on Pakistan"s next Prime Minister.

The blow to Musharraf could be devastating; the parties, however disparate, have vowed to join forces to reinstate the judiciary "to block future adventurers from taking reckless decisions". The message encapsulated in the pill will not be easy to swallow.

The other dramatic development after the formation of the coalition must be Asif Zardari's announcement that he will appoint a Prime Minister for 90 days and then take over after contesting the elections.

With the corruption charges dropped, his assuming the office of PM will be almost a metamorphorsis for the man known as "Mr 10 Per Cent" for his involvement in kickbacks when Benazir was the Prime Minister.

The reported consensus within the PPP in his favour is essentially a spin by his supporters and above all a reflection of the infighting within the party over the choice of PM. This was only too obvious when Makhdoom Amin Fahim, once considered an obvious PPP candidate for prime minister, was sidelined by the party leadership.

For all the taint, the party is said to have discovered that Zardari "is strong and has leadership qualities". Perfectly in accord with the trend of South Asian politics.