23.11.2007
Kampala, 23 November, (AP): The Commonwealth
yesterday suspended Pakistan from the organisation until
the return of democracy and the rule of law, the group's
Secretary General said.
According
to agency news report, a committee of foreign ministers
took the decision after Pakistan's military ruler Gen.
Pervez Musharraf failed to meet the Commonwealth's Thursday
deadline to lift Emergency rule and step down as Army
Chief.
The
committee "has suspended Pakistan from councils of
the Commonwealth pending restoration of democracy and
rule of law in the country," Secretary General Don
McKinnon told journalists.
"The
group expressed disappointment that while there had been
some progress, the conditions remain unfulfilled,"
McKinnon said, reading a statement on behalf of the ministers.
"The
state of Emergency had not been lifted. The constitution
and the independence of the judiciary not restored and
fundamental rights and the rule of law remain curtailed."
Courtesy - AP / Asian
Tribune