London: Pakistan is facing an ultimatum: President Pervez Musharraf must lift emergency rule and step down as army chief by tomorrow, or face suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations.

Musharraf has sounded defiant at the threat of exclusion from the 53-nation club largely made up of Britain and its former colonies, whose biennial summit will be opened Friday by Queen Elizabeth II in Kampala, Uganda.

Today, however, Pakistan asked the Commonwealth to wait a little longer before deciding on suspension.
Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule represents a big problem for the Commonwealth, an alliance struggling to turn historic ties, shared values and size - it s home to almost a third of the world s population - into political clout.

The Commonwealth includes countries from five continents and espouses an impressive set of values: democracy, human rights, free trade, racial equality, the rule of law and world peace. Yet the group suffers from an image problem.

"It doesn't resonate in the lives of people in Africa because they don t, particularly the younger generation, relate to the British monarchy, like the older generation," said Wafula Okumuof of the Pretoria, South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies.

Stuart Mote, secretary-general of the Royal Commonwealth Society - a nonprofit organization that works to promote the Commonwealth and its values - says Pakistan presents the group with a challenge. "Where it fails to live up to (its core) values, it needs to act with credibility and consistency. I think Pakistan is a test in that respect."

Source : PTI