[JURIST] The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) [official website; official backgrounder] Tuesday joined calls to suspend Pakistan from the Commonwealth in light of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule [JURIST report], suspension of the constitution and effective dismissal of the country's top judges. CHRI, which monitors human rights in the 53 Commonwealth nations and promotes adherence to the Harare Declaration [text], said that Commonwealth foreign ministers gathering Wednesday in Kampala, Uganda should bar Pakistan from the association of nations. Earlier this month, the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) threatened to suspend Pakistan [JURIST report] if emergency rule was not ended by November 22.

In 1999, Pakistan was suspended from the Commonwealth for five years after Musharraf assumed power in a military coup. AFP has more.