Ahead of the Commonwealth Summit beginning in Kampala on Friday, a key ministerial committee of the multilateral grouping appeared divided on the issue of suspending Pakistan as a member following imposition of emergency and clampdown on fundamental rights in that country.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group -- which has served an ultimatum to Pakistan to end emergency and restore fundamental rights by tomorrow -- holds two separate rounds of talks on the issue on Friday, in the midst of divergence of opinion among its nine member countries whether action should be taken against Islamabad, highly-placed official sources said.
While one view in CMAG, which includes Britain, Canada, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, is that Pakistan should not be pushed to the wall by suspending it from Commonwealth for the second time in less than a decade, the other school of opinion is that there cannot be double standards on disciplining countries where the democratic process is subverted, they said.
Those favouring the suspension of Pakistan point out that the Commonwealth has suspended Zambia and Fiji for reversal of democracy in the two countries and Pakistan cannot be an exception, the sources said.
Britain and Canada are understood to have been soft pedaling on the issue of Pakistan's suspension, they added.
The issue of Pakistan's membership figured in talks External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.
When Bogollagama sought to know India's view on the issue, he was conveyed that it was for the CMAG to decide the best course of action.
Turning the heat on CMAG members, India made it clear that it wants democracy, peace and stability in Pakistan but there cannot be a trade off between those elements like peace and stability at the expense of democracy, the sources said.
While India favours peace and stability in Pakistan so that there is a check on cross-border terrorism from that country, democracy was an equally parameter in judging Pakistan as it was the bulwark against radical elements, said the sources.
The division of opinion in CMAG is also reflective in the fact that the committee is going to hold two separate sessions when it meets for the first time after giving the 10-day ultimatum to Pakistan.
Evidently, CMAG members would not be able to iron out their differences at their breakfast meeting and have already lined up a dinner meeting to take up the issue.
Whatever the decision of the CMAG, a final decision on Pakistan's suspension will be taken at the Summit beginning on Friday, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives in Kampala to attend the three-day event.
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