Nawaz Sharif has put himself on a moral high horse by exposing the deceit of his political ally, Asif Ali Zardari, and withdrawing from the ruling coalition in Pakistan. The drastic step came when it became evident to the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League that there was nothing he could do to stop the co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party from reneging once again on his promise of restoring the judges sacked by just-deposed president Pervez Musharraf.

It was perhaps only natural for Sharif to carry out his threat of withdrawal, repeated ad nauseam over months. By finally taking the plunge, Sharif has ensured that he has even less chance than before of pushing through the issue that had been one of the cardinal points of the Muree Declaration.

The events of the past few days show up the dangerous self-obsession of Pakistan's political leaders. The alarming rise in terrorist activities within the state that is now threatening to take on a sectarian colouring, the incessant bloodshed, and the economic crises have not distracted the leaders from their single-minded pursuit of their own narrow agendas.

This is an edited extract of an editorial published in The Telegraph, Calcutta, on Wednesday.