Govt unlikely to allow CW observers
By Sajjad Malik
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is unlikely to allow Commonwealth observers to monitor the January 8 elections as a protest against the group’s November 22 decision to suspend Pakistan’s membership, sources in the Foreign Office said.
“The Commonwealth took a hasty decision by ignoring the ground realities and pleas by Pakistan to wait for a few weeks before making any formal response to emergency rule,” they said. The Pakistani leadership was greatly upset by the decision, the Foreign Office sources said. They also said that the Commonwealth had failed to realise that Pakistan was its second largest member nation after India, and that suspension would serve to cause some sort of “moral pain” to Islamabad.
They said last week the Commonwealth had sent a request for permission for observers to monitor the elections, but the Islamabad was in no mood to show eagerness towards the request. Pakistan has also not decided on relations with the organisation after the suspension, the second since Musharraf took over in 1999. “A decision on the issue will be taken by the new government after elections,” the sources said.
Meanwhile, the Commonwealth would also review its decision of suspension after Pakistan’s elections.
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Aarwaa
Pakistan is ruled by three As - Army, America and Allah.
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