Islamabad: Pakistan is unlikely to allow Commonwealth election observers to monitor the crucial January polls for the National and provincial assemblies as a protest against the groups "hasty decision" to suspend the country's membership.

"The Commonwealth took a hasty decision by ignoring the ground realities and pleas by Pakistan to wait for a few weeks before making any formal response to emergency rule," sources in the Foreign Office said.

They said Pakistan is unlikely to allow Commonwealth observers to monitor the January 8 elections as a protest against the groups November 22 decision to suspend Pakistans membership. The Pakistani leadership was greatly upset by the decision. The sources said that last week the Commonwealth had sent a request for permission for observers to monitor the elections, but Islamabad was in no mood to show eagerness.

Pakistan has also not decided on relations with the 53-member grouping after it suspended Pakistan's membership for the second time since Musharraf took over in 1999.

"A decision on the issue will be taken by the new government after elections, sources were quoted as saying by the Daily Times newspaper on condition of anonymity. The Foreign Office sources said that the Commonwealth had failed to realise that Pakistan was its second largest member nation after India, and that the suspension would cause some sort of "moral pain" to Islamabad.

Pakistan termed as "unreasonable and unjustified" its suspension from the Commonwealth and said efforts to restore normalcy in the country would not be determined by "unrealistic demands from outside". The Commonwealth would review its decision of suspension after Pakistans elections.

Source : PTI