Wampum

The issues that have to be resolved within hours are reinstatement of the deposed judges, the 17th Amendment, which "constitutionalized" the 2002 Legal Framework Order of General Pervez Musharraf, and Article 58-2(b) which empowers the president to dissolve the National Assembly.

If the controversial amendment stays, a non-partisan person enjoying respect and confidence of all the four coalition partners will be elected to the office of the president

One possibility is General (ret.) Jahangir Karamat, who's name was floated the day General (ret.) Musharraf left President House. Another is deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The Gallup polling data gives him an approval rating of 85%.

There's a real issue too that's not getting press attention in the US media markets, accountability. What are the consequences of letting a dictator go quietly into retirement? What did the ambassadors from London, Washington and Riyad do to the rule of law in Pakistan when they extracted concessions from the ruling coalition, which was, for the first time in Pakistan's history, peacefully, constitutionally, ending a period of dictatorship?