Anti-Yusuf Gilani protestors in Islamabad celebrate his being dismissed by the Supreme Court. Photo: AFP
In a country stricken by violent protests over chronic power shortages and racked by sectarian and political violence, the sudden decapitation of an elected government is poorly timed.
Local press yesterday described the Supreme Court's dismissal of Yusuf Raza Gilani for contempt of court as a ''judicial coup'', but the consequences of this intervention are less dramatic than when army tanks have rumbled along the streets.
Gilani was found guilty of contempt of court in April for refusing a direction to write to Swiss authorities allowing them to investigate President Asif Ali Zardari over corruption allegations.
The Pakistan People's Party-led coalition, while deeply unpopular with the electorate, still commands a healthy majority in parliament and will elect a new prime minister.
Makhdoom Shahabuddin, the Textile Minister, is reportedly the front-runner for the job.
But the loss of a long-standing prime minister will harm Pakistan internationally and divert critical attention from domestic crises.
Relations with the US are fractious and efforts to repair them will now be delayed.
The US is trying to negotiate with Pakistan to reopen its supply routes into Afghanistan for NATO trucks. Pakistan shut the border posts in November after a US helicopter attack on an army checkpoint killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan wants an apology and $5000 a truck to reopen the border.
Relations have also been strained by the US refusing to end drone strikes in Pakistan's north-west, and by Pakistan jailing the doctor who helped the CIA find Osama bin Laden.
Ordinary Pakistanis are less interested in the Machiavellian manoeuvring of their politicians than they are in having a country that functions. They are not sorry to see Gilani go, they just want the lights turned back on and the violence stopped.
Punjab has been rocked by violent protests over rolling power cuts. Even in the capital, Islamabad, the power is off for up to 12 hours a day. Many rural villages get no power at all.
In Punjab, rioters stoned the houses of politicians, attacked police stations and set fire to a train.
Gilani's last act in power was to demand an increase in power generation. Now, that order may not stand.