Suspend Pakistan's membership: Commonwealth rights group

London, Nov 6 - The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has urged the Commonwealth to suspend Pakistan's membership because of its about-turn from democracy.

'CHRI calls on the Commonwealth to immediately condemn these actions and suspend Pakistan from the Councils of the Commonwealth, while the Commonwealth continues to engage with and support civil society working towards an early return to democracy,' the group said in a statement Monday.

The CHRI is a non-government organisation that is closely associated with the Commonwealth, having been set up in 1987 by several Commonwealth associations.

While Commonwealth Secretary General Don McKinnon has condemned Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, the international organisation has not yet suspended Pakistan, leaving the decision to the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, a body comprising nine foreign ministers who are to meet on the sidelines of the Commonwealth summit to be held in Kampala Nov 23-25.

Strongly condemning the proclamation of emergency by Musharraf, the CHRI said actions taken in its wake 'run entirely contrary to the fundamental democratic principles of the Commonwealth'.

'As a member, Pakistan is bound to comply with such principles.'

It listed these actions as including: interference with the judiciary, dismissal, intimidation and detention of members of the Supreme Court and high courts, mass arrests and targeting of human rights defenders such as Asma Jahangir, arrests of political workers and lawyers to prevent any organised opposition to the emergency, and attacks on press freedom.

It said these actions are 'aimed at stifling democracy and peaceful dissent.'

The Commonwealth had suspended Pakistan after Musharraf seized power in a coup in 1999 but readmitted in 2004.

(c) Indo-Asian News Service

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