Commonwealth meet: PM leaves for Kampala

With Pakistan's possible suspension from the grouping expected to dominate the Commonwealth Heads of Government meet, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left Delhi on Thursday for Kampala where hot issues like climate change, human rights and terrorism will also be on the agenda.

CHOGM 2007, which will open on Friday in the Ugandan capital, "has a rich agenda before it. This includes review of global developments including climate change, the millennium development goals, human rights and terrorism," Dr Singh said in a pre-departure statement in Delhi.

Dr Singh, who returned from Singapore on Thursday night after attending the India-Association of South East-Asian Nations summit, said he was looking forward to meet a large number of world leaders and "have constructive dialogue with them on both bilateral and international issues".

The 53-nation group will also take a decision on its ultimatum to Pakistan to repeal emergency imposed on November 3, restore the Constitution and step down as army chief or face suspension with a 10-day deadline ending on Thursday.

In a last ditch effort to avoid diplomatic isolation, Islamabad appealed to the Commonwealth to defer a decision saying the general election is being held as scheduled and President Pervez Musharraf has given a commitment to doff uniform.

In a letter written to heads of governments of the countries that are members of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro said that the "political situation in Pakistan was returning to normalcy".

Buckling under intense political pressure, authorities released over 50,000 people, including cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, detained after emergency was clamped in Pakistan.

The CMAG, which comprises foreign ministers of nine countries including Britain, had threatened Pakistan with suspension after a meeting in London on November 12.

However, ahead of the summit, CMAG appeared divided on the issue of suspending Pakistan.

While one view in CMAG is that Pakistan should not be pushed to the wall by suspending it from Commonwealth for the second time in less than a decade, the other side asserts that there cannot be double standards on disciplining countries where the democratic process is subverted, sources said.

India has said it would not like to get involved in the matter.

"As far as we are concerned we don't like to get involved in this ourselves," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who was in the Ugandan capital to attend the ministerial meeting ahead of Commonwealth Summit but cut short his stay because of Kolkata violence, had told PTI.

Those favouring suspension of Pakistan point out that the Commonwealth has suspended Zambia and Fiji for reversal of democracy in the two countries and Pakistan cannot be made an exception, the sources said.

Britain and Canada are understood to have been soft pedaling on the issue of Pakistan's suspension, they added.

Earlier, India had refused to specify whether it would support action against the neighbour at the CHOGM.

India favours a "stable and peaceful" Pakistan as "we want a peaceful periphery for our own interest," Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon had said during a briefing on Dr Singh's visit to Uganda for the CHOGM meet.

He said India was ready to work with all those in Pakistan who would "work with us" in stopping terrorism "irrespective of the internal situation" in that country.

Besides discussing the Pakistan issue, the CHOGM will see election to its new secretary general, with India hoping that its candidate Kamlesh Sharma will win.

Mukherjee said said he was optimistic about the chances of Sharma, India's high commissioner to Britain who is pitted against foreign minister of Malta for the coveted post which will be decided later this week.

The special theme of the CHOGM meeting is 'Transforming socities to achieve political, economic and human development'.

Observing that India has consistently played an active role in the Commonwealth, Dr Singh said that New Delhi will seek to enhance ties with developing countries in Africa and the small states.

"India is strongly committed to the Commonwealth's role of nurturing a sense of belonging to a shared past and a shared destiny based on common values," the prime minister said in his statement.

Dr Singh said India has several technical assistance and cooperation programmes in place, particularly for the developing countries in Africa and the small states, which it will seek to enhance.

"I will use the opportunity to highlight the major socio-economic transformation that is underway in India, and the opportunities this provides for the emergence of a new world order," he said.