The Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP’s) dismal performance at the recent polls means that it does not have the numerical strength to re-elect President Asif Ali Zardari as the President of Pakistan for the next five years. Zardari’s five year tenure as President is scheduled to end on September 9th this year. However, the prime minister-elect, Nawaz Sharif, has categorically made it clear that not only will he take oath from the incumbent President but will also let Zardari continue to hold the prestigious office till the natural expiration of his tenure. This is a testament to Nawaz Sharif’s commitment to the Charter of Democracy, which was an agreement with the late Benazir Bhutto to restore civilian rule and democratic traditions in Pakistan. Moreover, the Charter was a realization by both major political parties that perhaps the reason why democracy was derailed multiple times in the past was due to the bitter antagonism between political forces, which gave an opportunity to the third force to intervene and prevented democracy from flourishing. Nawaz Sharif is playing his cards well and reciprocating PPP’s political maturity over the last five years. His party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) received flak for playing the role of a ‘friendly opposition’ but Nawaz Sharif was willing to face all that criticism because of his unwavering commitment to the democratic system. Nawaz Sharif’s years in exile seem to have transformed him from being a pugnacious and often whimsical leader to a mature statesman. His willingness to let PTI form the government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, despite PTI not having a simple majority, and his general conciliatory approach towards all other parties are positive signs for the people of Pakistan who have high expectations from him. Ousting a democratically elected President from office is a big deal and is equivalent to indicting him on charges that make him unfit for the august office. Pakistan is in the middle of a severe energy crisis and is engulfed in terrorism. In this tumultuous environment, it does not behoove PML-N to initiate impeachment proceedings against President Zardari, despite a difference of opinion on an array of issues, and the PML-N leadership understands this. Despite all the criticism that has been directed towards President Zardari over the last five years, credit should be given to him for keeping together a fractious coalition and overseeing the first ever democratic transition of power in Pakistan’s history. Moreover, President Zardari broke with precedent by being the only President to have willingly sacrificed his office’s power and rightfully restoring it to the Prime Minister, who is the chief executive in a parliamentary democracy. Although these achievements do not exonerate President Zardari and his party from their horrendous governance, they have resulted in the strengthening of democracy in Pakistan. *