October 12, 2003	Sunday	Sha'aban 15, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 11: Islamabad on Saturday expressed its unhappiness and amazement at a reported statement by an official of the Commonwealth secretariat in which he had commented on the current political and parliamentary debate in the country.

A government official here termed the statement “unwarranted partisan meddling by a Commonwealth functionary in domestic politics of Pakistan.”

A government official, when asked to comment on the reported public statement of Syed Sharfuddin, a Commonwealth adviser on political affairs, said: “If what is reported (attributed to the Commonwealth adviser) is correct then we express our amazement and surprise over these observations”.

The Pakistani official said the adviser’s reported observations “tantamount to the Commonwealth secretariat becoming a party in the domestic politics of Pakistan, which it is not warranted to ... Members of the (Commonwealth) secretariat are not supposed to make such observations on issues, which are entirely domestic in nature”.