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11/23/2007 |
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COMMONWEALTH SUSPENDS PAKISTAN |
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Commonwealth foreign ministers yesterday suspended Pakistan from the 53-nation grouping, saying the situation there represented a "serious violation" of its fundamental political values.
A Commonwealth official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP earlier this week that a suspension means:
. a ban on Pakistan attending any Commonwealth meeting anywhere in the world, including the three-day heads of government summit that begins in Kampala today.
. the withdrawal of "technical assistance", where officials from one Commonwealth country are sent to another member state with a view to improving public administration and government.
. a bar on attending Commonwealth-run training programmes and workshops for officials.
. exclusion from the Commonwealth Games, which are next due to be held in India in 2010.
Suspension from the Commonwealth is largely symbolic, but diplomatic isolation often goes hand-in-hand with more punitive economic sanctions.
The United States has already said it is mulling a withdrawal of aid following Musharraf's declaration of a state of emergency on November 3.
Pakistan was previously suspended from the Commonwealth after the army general seized power in a coup in 1999, but it was restored as a full member in 2004.
The Commonwealth has since helped the country in a number of areas.
It sent medical experts to help with the aftermath of the devastating 2005 earthquake, has trained public sector administrators and helped the country's media set up a code of conduct for impartial coverage of elections.
Ongoing programmes include training on good governance, infrastructure building through public-private partnerships, environmental sustainability as well as improving Internet access for children in remote villages.
Reprinted from jamaicaobserver.com |
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