This is a defining moment in Pakistan's history. The country's two main political parties - the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League- (Nawaz) (PML-N) - have agreed to put aside their long-standing rivalry to share power. This is a boost for democracy in Pakistan, as the failure of the two parties to come together to form a coalition government would have opened up space for the military to enter the political arena again, either directly or through the party it created, the Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid-e-Azam) (PML-Q). Power-sharing talks over the past few weeks have been difficult and it did seem at times that the two parties - bitter rivals for decades - would not be able to overcome their differences to make a coalition possible. It is no small achievement that they have reached an agreement now. Under the agreement, the PML (N) will join a PPP-led government at the Centre while the PPP will join a PML (N)-led government in Punjab.

An issue that was proving a difficult obstacle on the way to their reaching an agreement was the fate of the Supreme Court judges who had been sacked in November by President Pervez  Musharraf. The two parties have now agreed to re-instate the sacked judges within a month of government formation through a parliamentary resolution. The road ahead for the PPP-PML (N) coalition government is far from smooth. It can expect the military to engineer differences to bring about the collapse of the government. The coalition will have to close ranks against the forces opposed to democracy in the country.

Neither the PPP nor the PML (N) has a record of having stood up to the military. In fact, both parties, as and when in opposition, have joined hands with the military to bring down the party in power. If democracy remains fragile in Pakistan it is as much a result of the machinations of the military as it is of intrigues of the democratic parties. The PPP and the PML (N) have a historic opportunity now to work together to ensure that the military's wings are clipped. If they fail to act soon to constitutionally restrict the military's role in the country's political life, they will provide space for its re-assertion in national politics once again. In the recent elections, the people of Pakistan voted against the king's party - the PML (Q). That was a clear indication that they want an end to the military sitting in the driver's seat in Pakistan. It is now for the ruling coalition to ensure that this happens.