“It is essential that the Constitution and the rule of law be restored and the judiciary respected," -- Don McKinnon

Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon has convened a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in London on 12 November to discuss the situation in Pakistan, following consultations with the Group’s Chairperson, Malta’s Foreign Minister Michael Frendo.

The meeting of CMAG ministers follows the declaration of a State of Emergency in Pakistan by the Chief of Army Staff, General Pervez Musharraf.

In a statement issued on 3 November, the Secretary-General expressed grave concern at this development, calling it a “step in the wrong direction and a serious setback to democracy.”

CMAG comprises the Foreign Ministers of nine countries -- Canada, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and United Republic of Tanzania.

In his statement of 3 November, the Secretary-General said the suspension of the country’s constitution, days before the Supreme Court was due to pass judgement on General Musharraf’s re-election as President, was a matter of deep concern to the Commonwealth.

He said it was essential for “the Constitution and the rule of law [to] be restored and the judiciary respected.”

Pakistan was suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth in October 1999 and restored to full membership in May 2004. However, it has since remained on the agenda of the CMAG, which was established by Commonwealth Heads of Government in November 1995, to deal with serious or persistent violations of the Commonwealth’s fundamental political values.

At their meeting in Malta in 2005, Commonwealth Heads of Government noted that one individual holding the offices of Head of State and Chief of Army Staff is incompatible with the basic principles of democracy and the spirit of the Commonwealth’s principles. They reiterated that until the two offices are separated, the process of democratisation in Pakistan will not be irreversible.

The Secretary-General said the challenges facing Pakistan at present were widely acknowledged, but suspending constitutional rule and taking arbitrary action against the judiciary were not the answer.