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| 27 January 2004 | Tuesday | 04 Zilhaj 1424 |
UK backs Pakistan's return to C'wealth
ISLAMABAD, Jan 26: Britain on Monday backed the lifting of Pakistan's suspension from the Commonwealth group of nations that has been in place since the 1999 coup by President Pervez Musharraf, officials said.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair's foreign policy adviser, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, assured Pakistan of the government's "full support" for its return to the Commonwealth, a foreign ministry statement said.
Pakistan has "fulfilled all requirements" after the settlement of the tussle between the government and the opposition over Musharraf's constitutional package enacted ahead of parliamentary elections in 2002, it said.
Mr Sheinwald, who met Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali and Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, said there was now "no reason to keep its membership suspended," the statement said.
President Musharraf secured a vote of confidence on Jan 1 from parliament to legitimize his unelected presidency under a deal concluded last month with the Islamist opposition.
The deal with the powerful Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) also ratified his power to sack parliament after President Musharraf pledged to quit his post as army chief by the end of this year.
The 54-nation Commonwealth body at a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, early December decided not to restore Pakistan's membership because of the struggle between the government and the opposition.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon said the meeting concluded "there were some outstanding issues" in Pakistan's restoration of democracy since the 1999 coup, despite the revival of parliament.
Mr Jamali also briefed the British official on the "positive atmosphere" following the landmark talks between President Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during a summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation here early this month.-AFP
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