Pakistan condemns Commonwealth ban

Pakistan has dismissed the Commonwealth's decision to suspend its membership, claiming the move was "unreasonable and unjustified".

The country's foreign ministry said it was reviewing its ties to the group after a foreign ministers' committee from the organisation decided at the heads of government meeting in Uganda to suspend Pakistan. The suspension was imposed after General Pervez Musharraf failed to meet a Commonwealth deadline for lifting the state of emergency in Pakistan and to resign as army chief. "The pace of progress towards normalcy will be determined by ground realities and legal requirements in Pakistan rather than unrealistic demands from outside," said a spokesman.

The former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who tried to return to Pakistan from exile in September only to be deported by the government, could return next week, it emerged yesterday. Ahsan Iqbal, a spokesman for Mr Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N) said: "Nawaz Sharif will be returning in the next four or five days."