Pakistan fails to revoke C'wealth suspension

Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo (2ndL) waves a white cloth to symbolise peace before Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (L) Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon (C), Australian Prime Minister John Howard (2ndR) and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II (R) at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (CHOGM) in Abuja Friday. The four-day summit is putting focus on several issues including situation in Zimbabwe, the need to revive trade talks after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting in Cancun, the New Partnership for Africa's Development. PHOTO: AFP

Pakistan's efforts to get its suspension from Commonwealth revoked failed with the 54-nation grouping holding that no progress has been made for restoration of full parliamentary democracy in the country.

Pakistan was excluded in 1999 after a military coup which brought General Musharraf to power, but some Western members are keen to readmit the country because of its cooperation in the US-led "war on terror".

"There will be no change on Pakistan at this meeting," New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark told reporters at a reception.

She and others said the Commonwealth would not readmit Pakistan until Musharraf steps down as head of the armed forces and addresses other Commonwealth demands for democratic and judicial reform.

Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon has raised Pakistani hopes of returning soon when he said that ministers dealing with the issue felt it was "certainly moving in the right direction on all fronts".

Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha said judicial reforms, which emerged as the key obstacle to readmission in a September review, had not been addressed.

"Since there has been no progress on the resolution of the legal framework orders matters remain where they were in September and therefore the decision remains what it was in September, namely the continued suspension of Pakistan from the Councils of Common-wealth," he told reporters.

Musharraf was criticised by opponents for rigging the 2002 parliamentary election by barring key opponents and formalising the military's role in government.

But he has also cracked down on Islamic terrorists and become a key ally in the US-led "war on terrorism".