ISLAMABAD, Feb 14: Pakistan on Tuesday described as ‘inappropriate’ reported remarks of Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon who said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf must give up either the presidency or the post of army chief by 2007.
“These are matters that relate to our internal political processes. Any statement of this nature, if correctly reported, is inappropriate,” Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said when her attention was drawn to the statement.
The Commonwealth secretary-general, currently on a visit to India, made the remarks in an interview to the Press Trust of India (PTI) on Monday.
“2007 is the outer limit...Commonwealth leaders have made it clear that this (separation of posts) must happen at that time,” Mr McKinnon was quoted as saying by PTI.
He hinted at some ‘punitive’ action by the Commonwealth ministers in case that did not happen.
Pakistan was suspended from the 53-member body in 1999 after Gen Musharraf came to power through a coup. However, the suspension was lifted in 2004 after the group was convinced of decisive moves towards democratic reforms.
Pakistan remains on Commonwealth’s watch list.
President Musharraf has in the past rejected the Commonwealth’s call for restoration of full democracy, calling it interference in Pakistan’s affairs.
Talking to a group of visiting American and Asian journalists on Monday, the president said his staying as army chief posed no threat to democracy in Pakistan. “My uniform is no threat to democracy. I am a major advocate of democratic cause.”
The Commonwealth secretary-general is due here for talks on Saturday. He has requested a meeting with President Musharraf, but it has not been confirmed yet. However, he will hold delegation-level talks with Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and is expected to raise this issue.—Q.A.
