Suspension from the Commonwealth: What it means

LONDON: Commonwealth foreign ministers suspended Pakistan on Thursday 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, said 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 on Friday.

- 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.

The Commonwealth spends 300,000 pounds (420,000 euros, 614,000 dollars) per year on programmes in south Asia. The pan-Commonwealth budget for such schemes is five million pounds.

The official said seconded Commonwealth officials technical assistance and development schemes in a suspended country are not immediately suspended but run until the end of their scheduled time.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com