Commonwealth may expel Pak: PM
Tribune News Service

ON BOARD PM’S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, Nov 16 — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee today said Pakistan could be expelled from the Commonwealth if the military regime did not restore democracy.

Speaking to correspondents on his way back home after attending the four-day Commonwealth Summit at Durban, the Prime Minister said CHOGM considered three options before deciding to suspend Pakistan from the Councils of the Commonwealth for a period of six months.

Mr Vajpayee said India had taken the position that early elections should take place in Pakistan and all political prisoners, including Mr Nawaz Sharif, should be released immediately.

However, in reply to a question on the approach of the USA, the Prime Minister said the country might be guided by some consideration other than democracy.

In a statement, he said that on the issue of military takeover in Pakistan, African countries strongly raised their voice at the meeting but India did not want it to become an India-Pakistan issue.

"We wanted that the demand for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan was not restricted to India alone and should not become an India-Pakistan issue’’, he said.

Mr Vajpayee explained that CHOGM had three options before it. One was to suspend Pakistan from the Councils of the Commonwealth, another to suspend it from its membership and the third was the country’s expulsion from the Commonwealth.

He disclosed that the third option was suggested and supported by many when the draft on Pakistan came up for discussion at the Retreat at George.

"I intervened and put forward India’s viewpoint exhaustively. I mentioned that in Pakistan’s history thus far, democratically-elected governments have been overthrown by the military thrice before. When we were discussing the fate of Mr Nawaz Sharif, I told the other leaders that if there is no timely international intervention then Mr Nawaz Sharif might end up the way Z A Bhutto went’’, the statement said. (Mr Bhutto was hanged after a trial during the military regime under Gen Zia-ul-Haq).

The Prime Minister said on the question of the restoration of democracy in Pakistan, the Commonwealth’s view had become more emphatic with Indian intervention and assured it would not be compromised at all.

He said that was why in the final declaration it was mentioned that a high-level Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group would keep a close watch on the developments in Pakistan.

"If democracy is not restored soon, Pakistan can be suspended from the Commonwealth and may even be expelled from it,’’ Mr Vajpayee said.

On the postponement of the SAARC summit, he said "the experience of the hard work that our diplomats had to do in getting the summit postponed on the issue of military takeover in Pakistan is now behind us’’.

Moving to other areas, Mr Vajpayee said on terrorism, CHOGM had endorsed India’s stand and said it was now for the United Nations to take effective steps against state-sponsored terrorism.

He said the problem of cross-border terrorism being faced by some member-countries was discussed exhaustively and India explained that there had been over 40,000 victims of cross-border terrorist attacks since 1988.

"Most of those who lost their lives in these acts of terrorism have been Muslims. Even the minorities have been made targets in these attacks deliberately to tarnish the image of the Indian government in the international arena,’’ Mr Vajpayee said.

On the issue of trade relations and the forthcoming Seattle conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Mr Vajpayee said the final CHOGM declaration had clearly stated that all decisions of the Uruguay Round should be urgently implemented. This, he said, was incorporated at India’s insistence.

He said it was also decided that all future negotiations should concentrate on specific issues and that among the developing countries there was a unanimous feeling that if all did not work together in this area, it would be increasingly difficult to safeguard their interests.

Mr Vajpayee said he also held bilateral discussions with leaders of many countries. During his meeting with the Australian Prime Minister, it was decided that senior officials of both countries would meet soon to strengthen bilateral relations.