Commonwealth urges Musharraf to separate office of head of state from chief of army staff

The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) has repeated this call to Pakistan, once again giving President Pervez Musharraf until 2007 to resolve the contentious issue.

General Musharraf is both president and the operational commander of the army in the South Asian country.

The nine-member Group met in New York on 23 September 2006 and reaffirmed in a statement afterwards: “… the holding by the same person of the offices of Head of State and Chief of Army Staff is incompatible with the basic principles of democracy and the spirit of the Harare Commonwealth principles.”

“Until the two offices are separated, the process of democratisation in Pakistan will not be irreversible,” the Group said, adding it wanted the matter to be addressed “as early as possible and not beyond the end of the current Presidential term in 2007 at the latest.”

In its statement, the Group recalled and reiterated the position taken by Commonwealth leaders in Malta in November 2005.

The Group asked that the two offices be separated in accordance with both the letter and spirit of Pakistan’s Constitution and within the aforementioned timeframe.

In the same statement, Ministers appreciated Pakistan’s continued steps towards democratic reform and its positive engagement with the Commonwealth. They welcomed the growing freedom of the media in Pakistan as well as the Government’s commitment to safeguard the rights of women and minorities, supporting ongoing efforts for reform in these areas. They noted the Government’s intention to establish a human rights commission and encouraged collaboration with civil society.

The Group also welcomed the commitment to hold free and fair elections, in accordance with the Constitution, when the current Parliament’s term expires, as well as the invitation to the Commonwealth to observe those elections.

The Group emphasised the importance of the National Assembly and Senate, and encouraged greater use of both -- including Parliamentary committees and other democratic institutions. It saw the need for widening democratic space, greater consultations and fairness overall.

CMAG decided to retain Pakistan on its agenda and asked the Secretary-General, as well as member governments, to continue to engage with Pakistan at various levels to promote Commonwealth objectives.

CMAG comprises the foreign ministers of Canada, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Papua New Guinea, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom and Tanzania. The 23 September meeting was chaired by Dr Michael Frendo, Foreign Minister of Malta, who was elected Chairman of CMAG. Dato’ Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Foreign Minister of Malaysia, was elected Vice-Chair.

Secretariat Links:

• Twenty-Seventh Meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group on the Harare Declaration (CMAG) CONCLUDING STATEMENT
• Country Profile: Pakistan