"I don't think in this situation the coalition is threatened"

Pakistani leaders were up against a key deadline Wednesday in efforts to restore judges ousted by President Pervez Musharraf and end a spat that has strained their month-old coalition government.

The U.S.-backed president purged the country's Supreme Court last year to stop legal challenges to his continuation in office. Parties that routed Musharraf's allies in February elections and formed the new coalition government have promised to reinstate the judges by the end of April.

But with the deadline upon them, they remained at odds over how to fulfill their promise, fueling speculation that an alliance that is revising Pakistan's role in the U.S.-led war on terror could crumble and grant a reprieve to the embattled president. Read more