PM Harper wants Pakistan suspended from Commonwealth

[Praxius]

CTV.ca | PM wants Pakistan suspended from Commonwealth

Prime Minister Stephen Harper is calling for Pakistan to be removed from the Commonwealth, saying President Gen. Pervez Musharraf hasn't done enough to lift emergency rule and restore democracy in the country. Harper is in Uganda for the Commonwealth summit along with Helena Guergis, secretary of state for foreign affairs and international trade. "Essentially the prime minister has instructed Helena Guergis, the secretary of state for foreign affairs that Canada thinks Pakistan has not done enough to remove emergency rule, to return to more democratic governance in that country," David Akin told CTV Newsnet from Kampala. "So he has instructed Secretary of State Guergis on Canada's decision that Pakistan ought to have its Commonwealth membership suspended." Harper arrived in Kampala on Thursday, the same day a group of eight foreign ministers were meeting to decide how to deal with Pakistan. Guergis was to represent Canada at the meeting of the voting group -- referred to as the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) Their decision is expected later today. Canada's position was announced by Sandra Buckler, a spokesperson for Harper. Akin said Canada has taken a more hard-line stance than some other members of the Commonwealth. "The British position is a little more conciliatory," he said. "They haven't been equivocal one way or the other about whether or not Pakistan ought to be remaining in the Commonwealth. Pakistan for its part has asked that the decision be suspended, that the Commonwealth not make a decision just yet. They would like to wait a couple of days, but as I say that is not good enough for Canada." With over 2,000 troops in Afghanistan, a direct neighbour to Pakistan, Canada has a major stake in ensuring the nation returns to some form of stability. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting involves 53 member states, all linked together by Britain's colonial legacy. Along with the giants like Britain, Canada, India, Pakistan and Nigeria, there are tiny member states such as Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu. Queen Elizabeth, who arrived in Uganda on Wednesday, will formally open the summit on Friday. The summit is expected to deal with international trade, climate change, and the problems facing small states. Pakistan's situation Other issues on the agenda will be democracy and human rights. The Commonwealth nations have given Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf a Thursday deadline to end emergency rule in his country and step down from his role as army chief. Musharraf claims he called emergency rule to combat Islamist extremists, but he has mainly used the powers to crack down on his secular opposition. On Thursday, a newly installed Supreme Court cleared a final challenge to Musharraf's presidential election victory last month. The win was criticized because Pakistan has a constitutional ban on public servants running for elected office. The leader has promised to step down as army chief once his election victory was confirmed. In 1999, following a coup in which Musharraf first seized power, Pakistan was kicked out of the organization for five years. Fiji suspended Last December, the Commonwealth also suspended the South Pacific nation of Fiji after Commodore Frank Bainimarama took power in a military coup. However, opposition politicians in Uganda are angry at the Commonwealth for taking pressure off President Yoweri Museveni. He came under fire at the 2005 summit in Malta after he jailed opposition leader Kizza Besigye. The opposition has demonstrations planned for the summit's opening on Friday. After the summit, Harper will travel to Tanzania, Canada's biggest recipient of foreign aid in Africa. Harper is on his first trip to Africa as prime minister.

So somebody finally steps up on some kind of action.

What does it exactly mean to be pulled/suspended from the Commonwealth?

The Commonwealth has no constitution or charter, but the heads of government of its member states hold Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings (CHOGM) every two years to discuss issues of common interest. In between the summits, the London-based Secretariat - the Commonwealth's executive arm - takes responsibility for carrying out programmes agreed upon during the various meetings. The Secretariat is headed by a secretary-general...... ......The Commonwealth has been criticised for being a post-colonial club. But to its members it is a voluntary association of independent states which is in the business of promoting democracy, good government, human rights and economic development. It has also been criticised for having little influence and no teeth. The Commonwealth in fact does not act as a bloc in international affairs and so has little influence over non-members. However, its influence over its own members derives from the benefits which membership brings in the form of developmental support and collaboration towards the achievement of international goals. Also, the fact that members share a common heritage in many fields, including a common language, enables them to work together in an atmosphere of cooperation and understanding, strengthening even further the prestige of the Commonwealth. Unlike the United Nations, Commonwealth members have no contractual obligations, but members commit themselves to the statements of beliefs set out by heads of government.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Country profiles | Profile: The Commonwealth

So it basically means that Pakistan can expect very little help from other Commonwealth members if suspended.

There are currently 54 independant countries which are members of the Commonwealth.

[Praxius]

And it's done... just watching the news and the rest of the Commonwealth have just voted to suspend their membership.

[another day]

good!

[Praxius]

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Pakistan barred from Commonwealth

Pakistan has been suspended from the Commonwealth because of its imposition of emergency rule, the organisation has announced after a meeting in Uganda. Secretary General Don McKinnon said Pakistan was being suspended "pending restoration of democracy and the rule of law". Earlier Pakistan's Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to Pervez Musharraf's re-election as president. The president has said that he will now step down as head of the army. In recent days Gen Musharraf's regime has also released more than 3,400 people who had been detained under the emergency rule which the president imposed earlier this month. And following a visit by US envoy John Negroponte, opposition leader Imran Khan was freed. But the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), the group reviewing the status of Pakistan's membership, decided that despite these changes, not enough had been done. The BBC's Peter Biles in Kampala says that some Asian nations had reportedly resisted the suspension. The decision was not put to a vote, our correspondent says, but after a day of fraught negotiations an agreement was eventually reached. Mr McKinnon said the 53-member Commonwealth had reached the decision by consensus. "CMAG agreed that notwithstanding some progress by the Pakistan government since its last meeting, the situation in Pakistan continued to represent a serious violation of the Commonwealth's fundamental values," Mr McKinnon said, reading from a statement. Review planned It is the second time that Pakistan has been expelled from the Commonwealth. The country was suspended in 1999, after Gen Musharraf seized power in a coup. It was reinstated in 2004. As in 1999, Pakistan will now be banned from attending the organisation's meetings and taking part in the Commonwealth Games. Though in diplomatic terms being suspended has little impact, our correspondent in Kampala says that being a member does open doors, and as Mr McKinnon was keen to point out, just a year after its last suspension Pakistan was voicing a desire to return. Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the "decision was taken in sorrow, not in anger", and that he hoped the group would be able to welcome Pakistan back soon. "We're all clear that the choice is for Pakistan now, to make the changes that are in its interest nationally and internationally, and then to re-enter the Commonwealth as a proud and valued member," Mr Miliband added. Progress will now be reviewed after parliamentary elections which Gen Musharraf has promised will take place in January.

I guess that means Canada and Pakistan won't be bum buddies.

[rmnunez]

Musharaff resigns military command:

Benazir Bhutto welcomed President Musharraf quitting his army post but said her party was in no hurry to accept him as a civilian leader. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said President Musharraf's stepping down was a good first step but called for a state of emergency to be lifted ahead of January elections. BBC NEWS | South Asia | Musharraf gives up army uniform