Concern on Emergency: UN Chief Rejects Protest by Pakistan
'Pakistan Times' Monitoring Desk

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has rejected Pakistan's protest over his statement expressing serious concern at the imposition of emergency rule.

The UN chief also urged the government to release all detainees and restore democratic rule.

According to a statement from the mission, Pakistan's Ambassador Munir Akram met Ban on Monday and conveyed his protest on the issuance of a statement by him regarding the internal developments in Pakistan.

Asked whether he believed President General Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule was an internal matter or a matter for possible UN action, Ban told reporters "I stand by my statement which I issued."

The Secretary General said he met Akram at his request "and I again expressed my deep concern and regret at what had happened in Pakistan."

"I also urged strongly that Pakistani government should return to democratic rules and procedures as soon as possible, and also urged the Pakistani leadership to release immediately all the detained political leaders, and lawyers and also special rapporteur (UN's expert) on freedom of religion and faith," he said.

In his statement, the Secretary General urged Pakistan authorities to immediately release those detained, including the UN expert on religious freedom, Asma Jahangir.

He called for "the lifting of restrictions on the media and early steps for a return to democratic rule", a UN spokesperson said.

C'wealth Meeting Called

And, a report from London says that the secretary general of the Commonwealth has convened an emergency meeting of foreign ministers in London next Monday to discuss Pakistan, which could face suspension from the 53-member body over declaration of emergency rule.

Trouble could come from the Tanzania's delegate who could insist on the summit deciding on the second suspension of Pakistan in less than a decade over its commitment to democracy. Earlier, it was suspended in 1999.

In a scenario, the issue of Pakistan's membership could even spill over into the contest for the leadership of the Commonwealth, which is due to elect a new secretary general in Kampala.

The Indian high commissioner to London, Kamalesh Sharma, who had been widely expected to gain a consensus, is running against the Maltese foreign minister Michael Frendo, the present chair of the action group.

The Africans may also call for the reopening of the issue of the membership of Zimbabwe, which left the organisation before it was expelled over President Robert Mugabe's failure to hold free and fair elections.

France Reax

A report from Pris says that France urged President Pervez Musharraf on Wednesday to lift the state of emergency and allow elections to be held by January as previously planned.

"We underscore the importance that we accord to the respect for the rule of law and public freedoms," said French foreign ministry spokesman Pascale Andreani.

"We therefore demand a lifting of the state of emergency and that elections be held according to the planned timetable," he said.

The president has pledged to hold elections and promised to deviate the election schedule "as little as possible."

Britain on Polls

In London, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called Wednesday on President Pervez Musharraf to set a specific date for January elections, after suspension of the country's constitution.

"We call on the government of Pakistan to first declare now a specific date for January elections," he said in a statement to the House of Commons on the crisis in Pakistan.●