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The Commonwealth may not have the required teeth or much say in the new world order, but its charm is still intact and its membership is considered important. That is why Pakistan’s re-admission into its fold generated so much interest worldwide. India, too, has welcomed and endorsed the decision, as now in keeping with the peace initiatives its stand has turned more positive and less critical. India also has no objection to Pakistan’s entry into the Association of South-East Asian Nation (ASEAN) regional forum also.
The Commonwealth Secretary General, Don McKinnon, announced the decision to readmit Pakistan, five years after it was suspended because of a military coup, appreciating the progress towards democracy by President Pervez Musharraf. It is generally felt that the UK and Australia wanted to reward President Musharraf for helping fight Al-Qaeda as it is seen as a key ally in the US-led war on terror. Don McKinnon said, “President Musharraf is expected to stand down as head of the army by the end of this year, as he has promised.”
This decision has sent waves of cheers in Pakistan. The country was suspended from the 53-nation group’s decision-making councils after General Musharraf ousted the elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup. However, interestingly General Musharraf’s slamming the Commonwealth on some of its statements about attached conditionality, soon after the re-admission reveals the compulsions on both sides.
Pakistan’s suspension and re-admission drama notwithstanding, it is not as if it has made large strides in restoring democracy since. While Musharraf himself wears two hats simultaneously, there is a namesake parliament, which can be dissolved at the will of the National Security Council, an unelected body staffed by his men.
Whatever the compulsion may be, Pakistan’s readmission to the Commonwealth fold marks a new beginning. It shows the change in attitude and perspectives in a new world order. Musharraf has emerged as new blue-eyed boy and “strategic ally” of the Anglo-American axis. This reward was championed by the British, together with the Australians who tend to be junior partners in the Anglo axis, for cooperation against Al Qaeda. Delhi was not inclined to stand in the way, given the current peace moves with Pakistan. Objections came from African countries, since Zimbabwe didn’t receive the same kid-glove treatment. The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group has resolved the issue by placing Pakistan on notice — that Musharraf must also keep his promise to step down as army chief by the year-end.
Though the Commonwealth Ministers Action Group (CMAG) agreed to remain seized of the situation by retaining Pakistan on its agenda, this decision was strongly opposed by Pakistani opposition politicians, who felt it was premature. “People want to reward General Musharraf for the role that he’s playing as a key ally of the international community in combating terrorism,” said former Prime Minister Ms Benazir Bhutto, who lives in exile in London, to BBC Radio in an interview. “I’d like to see Pakistan readmitted by the Commonwealth — but not under a military dictator,” said Bhutto.
Prior to the meeting of CMAG, Ms Bhutto has said in a letter to them: “We urge the Commonwealth that the matter of re-admitting Pakistan is kept on hold till the country is returned to genuine democracy and supremacy of parliament restored,”. The letter further added, “Readmission to the Commonwealth at this stage would amount to conferring democratic credentials on the regime in Pakistan and further push back the goal of genuine democracy in the country.”
The party of another former prime minister in exile, Nawaz Sharif, has also said Pakistan’s readmission should be conditional on a return to “true democracy”. “The Commonwealth must play its role in bringing back democracy,” Tehmina Daultana, a member of parliament from Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League faction, had said. Recently, authorities deported Sharif’s younger brother Shahbaz, the president of his party, when he attempted to return to Pakistan from three years in exile.
The Commonwealth maintained Pakistan’s suspension after 2002 elections that Bhutto and Sharif were barred from contesting, citing lack of democratic and judicial reform. The Commonwealth has acknowledged recent moves by Musharraf towards democracy, including his pledge to step down as army chief by the end of this year. He has also cracked down on rebels and become a key ally in the US-led war on terror, leading some Commonwealth members to press for Pakistan’s reinstatement.
Pakistan’s High Commissioner in London, Maleeha Lodhi, said in an interview that the Commonwealth’s credibility would be damaged if it did not reinstate her country. Analysts are of the opinion that the reinstatement would be a symbolic boost for Musharraf as the Commonwealth had taken a tougher line with him than have the United States and European Union. The EU last month ratified a long-delayed commercial and economic pact after its parliament said it was finally satisfied with Islamabad’s moves towards democracy.
Pakistan is also seeking full dialogue partnership of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who recently visited Pakistan, had voiced support for this bid. Brunei is a member of the 10-nation Asean grouping.
Since Musharraf promised to quit the army by the end of the year, and parliament approved his controversial changes to the constitution, optimism has risen among Pakistani officials that key “goalposts” of democracy have been met. Taking part in the London meeting were the foreign ministers of Lesotho, Malta, Nigeria, Samoa and Tanzania, and senior diplomats from the Bahamas, Canada, India and Sri Lanka deputised by their respective foreign ministers. Chairing the deliberations was Nigerian Foreign Minister Olu Adeniji, while India was represented by its acting High Commissioner in London, Satyabrata Pal, a Commonwealth official said.
The commonwealth consist of states spread over all continents and oceans, interacting through a network of governmental and non-governmental links. Today, while half the members are small states with populations under one million people; member states represent nearly one-quarter of the world’s population (1.7 billion people) and nearly one third of the membership of the United Nations.
There has been a sea of change in the world order following the events of September 11, 2001, in the United States. The world has had to readjust its approach to security in order to deal with terrorists who have proven how far reaching their action could be. The new catchword is “defeating terrorism” almost with a war cry. Of course it is no easy task to tame this monster. According to a press release issued in October 2001, any member country that harbours or supports terrorists in any way is in violation of the fundamental values of the Commonwealth and has no place in the organisation. A ten member Ministers Committee on Terrorism was also established and met on January 29, 2002. It recommended a wide-ranging Plan of Action on terrorism, which was adopted at the Commonwealth Head of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) in March 2002. Heads of Government also pledged their support for UN action against terrorism and to assist all members - particularly the smaller and less developed countries - in their efforts to meet their obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1373, which imposes a new international legal obligation on all countries to cooperate against terrorists.
Since the 2002 CHOGM, the Secretariat of the Commonwealth has made significant progress in implementing the Plan of Action. Draft model legislation and “implementation kits” for the twelve counter-terrorism instruments were prepared and in February 2002, Canada supported this exercise through two contributions totaling US$85,000 from the Human Security Fund.
The Secretariat is planning to provide further assistance on legislative implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373, involving regional workshops and on-site assistance. Best practice guides have been developed to assist countries in implementing international anti-money laundering standards. Canada contributed a further $125,000 for regional workshops to help Commonwealth countries implement UNSCR 1373.
The Commonwealth has attained a high level of credibility because of its non-threatening and supportive attitude to members’ needs. Over the years it has developed areas of expertise that contribute directly to the capabilities of member states to face specific or common challenges. Member countries benefit from the support of a large network of private, voluntary and professional organizations, including universities, parliamentarians, legal, medical and other professions and organisations in the media and sports.
As the current Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Don McKinnon, puts it: “The Commonwealth is a network that cuts across networks. Any consensus reached within this diverse group has an excellent chance of winning support more widely, in other organisations.”
Armed with a common working language and similar systems of law, public administration and education, the Commonwealth has built on its shared history to become a vibrant and growing association of states in tune with the modern world. It is committed to a set of fundamental values spelt out in the Harare Commonwealth Declaration of 1991, at the core of which is belief in and adherence to democratic principles. It seeks to promote democracy through advocacy of democratic principles and practical action to help make them a reality.
As per rule, CMAG - the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, a group of eight Foreign Ministers, can take action against countries, which are in “serious or persistent violation” of the democratic principles. The purpose is to ensure that democracy in the Commonwealth is a matter of substance, not merely the adoption of democratic forms.
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