Musharraf's problems with Commonwealth mount, but election commission affirms him as President

Last updated at 10:19 24 November 2007

The Pakistan Election Commission has affirmed Pervez Musharraf's as elected President following a high court ruling during the week.

It comes as former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was thrown out of the country when he tried to return from exile in September, is set to make another attempt to go back to Pakistan in a blow to Musharraf's regime.

Sharif, whom Musharraf deposed in a bloodless 1999 coup, will return to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia next week, the vice president of Sharif's political party, said today.

"There is no doubt about it," Zafar Ali Shah saids. "Nawaz Sharif will be with us next week, but at this stage we cannot say exactly when and where he will arrive."

Musharraf has insisted that Sharif stay out of Pakistan until after the parliamentary elections that his party plans to contest on January 8.

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Meanwhile the Pakistani Foreign Ministry condemned the country's suspension from the Commonwealth as "unreasonable and unjustified" and said the 53-nation body had failed to appreciate Pakistan's "serious internal crisis."

Pakistan was dramatically suspended from the Commonwealth last night because of its failure to lift emergency rule.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Commonwealth foreign ministers after Musharraf missed a deadline to restore democracy, free political detainees and step down as head of the army.

Musharraf has begun rolling back some elements of emergency rule he imposed more than three weeks ago.

Pakistani officials said he would be be sworn in as a civilian leader within days and this week he freed thousands of detainees.

Musharraf also promised parliamentary elections would go ahead on January 8.

But the moves were not enough to meet the demands of a ninemember action group of Commonwealth foreign ministers including David Miliband.

Announcing their decision, Secretary General Don McKinnon said Pakistan was being suspended "pending restoration of democracy and the rule of law".

He said the nine members of the group had reached last night's decision by consensus.

"We're all clear that the choice is for Pakistan now to make the changes that are in its interest nationally and internationally, and then to re-enter the Commonwealth as a proud and valued member."

In a statement, he said: "The group expressed disappointment that while there had been some progress, the conditions remain unfulfilled.

"The state of emergency had not been lifted, the constitution and the independence of the judiciary not restored, and fundamental rights and the rule of law remain curtailed."

Gordon Brown said: "Commonemergency-wealth ministers have made their clear and necessary decision on suspension of Pakistan from the Commonwealth.

"President Musharraf has said that he will take the steps necessary to restore democracy. The Commonwealth is strongly of the view that he must now do so."

Mr Miliband said the 'decision was taken in sorrow, not in anger', and that he hoped the group would be able to welcome Pakistan back soon.

"We're all clear that the choice is for Pakistan now to make the changes that are in its interest nationally and internationally, and then to re-enter the Commonwealth as a proud and valued member," he added.

Commonwealth foreign ministers had given Musharraf ten days to lift rule. They also demanded he step down as army chief, release political detainees and restore press freedoms.

Last night's meeting ran five hours over schedule, apparently indicating difficulty in reaching a decision.

Some Commonwealth sources claimed Sri Lanka had argued strongly in favour of Pakistan while Tanzania and Canada had been adamant it must be suspended.

The other members of the group are Papua New Guinea, Malta, Lesotho, Malaysia and St Lucia but the latter was absent.

Last night's decision - on the eve of a Commonwealth summit of heads of state beginning in the Ugandan capital Kampala today - was announced within minutes of the ten-day deadline expiring at midnight.

Musharraf imposed the state of emergency and suspended Pakistan's constitution on November 3.

He said he had been forced into making 'very painful decisions' because Pakistan was in a crisis caused by militant violence and a judiciary which had paralysed the government.

In recent months, Pakistani security forces have suffered a series of blows from pro-Taliban militants opposed to Musharraf's support for the U.S.-led 'war on terror'.

Earlier, Pakistan's supreme court dismissed a legal challenge to Musharraf's re-election as president.

It is the second time Pakistan has been expelled from the Commonwealth. The country was suspended in 1999 after Musharraf seized power and was reinstated in 2004.