The reforms in the 18th Amendment Bill should reverse the concentration of power that had wrongly been stored in the office of the president. But while the bill may seem like a great step forward, it is probably better represented as a good step forward after many steps back. Besides, it has yet to be seen how these constitutional changes are implemented and upheld.

Still, the world is watching.

Here are what some international news outlets and analysts are saying:

The New York Times:

The changes were widely heralded here as important step toward improving the long-term health of the country’s beleaguered democracy. But they also threatened to open a new chapter of instability for the government of President Asif Ali Zardari, as they strip away his powers and leave him more vulnerable to challenges from the opposition.

Deutsche Welle:

Committee chairman Raza Rabbani said the reforms would restore “parliamentary supremacy”.

Throughout Pakistan’s history, its political system has often been paralyzed by power struggles between the president, the prime minister, the army chief and the chief justice.

It remains to be seen if this latest clarification of jurisdictions will finally provide the stability Pakistan badly needs to address the many crises it faces.

Juan Cole, Author and Analyst:

The president will lose the power, so abused in the 1990s, to dismiss the prime minister at will. Presidents will not be able to prorogue or cancel parliament. They won’t be able to unilaterally appoint the Chief of Staff. The legislative reforms in Pakistan will also give more autonomy to the provinces within the Pakistani federal system. The long-suffering Pashtun people (unfairly branded as all ‘Taliban’ by some observers) will finally get a provincial name recognizing them, as Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan recognize their majority ethnicities.

But none of these achievements is being praised by the right of center US press or the liberal imperialists.

That is because the United States did not spur these developments. The Pakistani public (including humble street crowds) did it themselves . . . .

Pakistan: Now or Never (Reuters blog):

The problem, however, is that this great surge in democracy has been accompanied by the growing role of the Pakistan Army, whose chief, General Ashfaq Kayani, was feted in Washington last month as the real wielder of power in Pakistan.

While no one is talking of a military coup, nor does anyone seriously believe that the civilian government has any real control over foreign and security policy, which has long been set by the army. And this does not just affect Pakistan’s external relations. It has an impact on how it deals with militant groups based in Pakistan who some argue are radicalising the youth and turning society more conservative. It may even have an impact on how the different provinces of Pakistan relate to each other, given that the India-centric views of the army are traditionally associated with the Punjab, its traditional recruiting ground.

Interestingly, the Guardian’s coverage was only partly about the reform package and more about the latest battle between Zardari and the Chief Justice:

Iftikhar Chaudhry, the chief justice, who became the hero of Pakistani democrats when he was reinstated to office a year ago following protests led by lawyers, is accused by some of pursuing a vendetta against the president. His supporters say he is only seeking to bring to book those accused of corruption, by implementing a December judgment that struck down an amnesty granted to the president and thousands of other politicians and bureaucrats. . . . The chief justice brought senior functionaries before his court this week demanding to know why the government had not asked the Swiss authorities to reopen the case against Zardari, which was dropped under the amnesty.