Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth councils at the
last minute before a ten day deadline expires on Thursday, a
Commonwealth ministerial committee decided in Kampala late in the
day.
Following two meetings on Thursday, the Commonwealth Ministerial
Action Group (CMAG) headed by Malta Foreign Minister Michael
Frendo, made the decision hours before the biennial Commonwealth
summit kicks off on Friday.
"The Group expressed disappointment that while there had been
some progress, these conditions remained substantially unfulfilled
-- the State of Emergency had not been lifted, the Constitution and
independence of the judiciary had not been restored, and
fundamental rights and rule of law remain curtailed," said a
statement from the CMAG.
"CMAG acknowledged President Musharraf's intention to remove his
uniform and looked forward to him doing so as soon as possible,"
said the statement read by the Commonwealth Secretary General Don
McKinnon.
"Accordingly, consistent with that decision, CMAG suspended
Pakistan forthwith from the Councils of the Commonwealth," said a
statement from the committee, pending the restoration of democracy
and the rule of law in that country," he announced.
This is the second time that Pakistan is suspended from the bloc
mostly comprising former British colonies in less than a
decade.
The suspension means that Pakistan is restricted from all
Commonwealth activities, but still remains a member of the
group.
Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth in 1999 but
readmitted in 2004.
"It was not an easy meeting. It is going to be a tough
decision," McKinnon said at a briefing earlier in the day.
In a letter written to the Commonwealth leaders of the CMAG,
caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro said the "political
situation in Pakistan was returning to normalcy."
The CMAG, including Britain, Canada, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Malta,
Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, St. Lucia and Tanzania, last Monday
condemned the suspension of the constitution by Pakistan President
Pervez Musharraf, saying the move was not in line with
"Commonwealth values."
The group called for an "immediate repeal of the emergency
provisions and full restoration of the constitution and of the
independence of the judiciary."
However, it was reported that CMAG appeared divided on the issue
of suspending Pakistan. Some believed pushing Pakistan to the wall
would not help find a solution while others insisted there cannot
be double standards on disciplining countries, citing Nigeria and
Fiji for examples.
Nigeria was suspended from 1995 to 1999. Fiji was suspended
following a military coup in the country late last year.
Most of heads of government from the 53 member states of the
Commonwealth are to discuss issues of situation in Pakistan and
Zimbabwe, which is no longer a Commonwealth member, as well as
issues like climate change and poverty eradication during the three
day summit.
Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth in 2003 after it was
suspended in 2002 for election violence and land reform.
(Xinhua News Agency November 23, 2007)
