Commonwealth may further isolate Pak.

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, APRIL 19. The failure to come up with a credible road- map for the restoration of democracy in Pakistan could soon accentuate the international isolation of the military rulers in Islamabad. The Commonwealth, which took the first diplomatic initiative against Pakistan after the military coup there last October, might once again take the lead in turning the heat on Islamabad.

India, which is in the midst of its own international campaign to isolate the regime of Gen. Pervez Musharraf, finds that it does not have to preach to the converted in the Commonwealth.

The visiting Secretary-General of the 54-nation Commonwealth, Mr. Don McKinnon, told a press conference here today that the organisation would continue to exert pressure on Pakistan on the question of democracy. He said the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) scheduled to meet in London on May 1 to consider whether ``further action or initiative'' should be taken against Pakistan on the question of democracy.

Meeting immediately after the coup, the CMAG had suspended Pakistan from the `Councils of Commonwealth'. This decision was endorsed by the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Durban, South Africa, last November.

The summit had also called on the CMAG to monitor the situation in Pakistan and ``be prepared to recommend further measures to be taken by the Commonwealth if progress to democracy is not made speedily''.

The decision on local body elections announced last month by Gen. Musharraf is not seen by many as a step towards the restoration of democracy.

Mr. McKinnon called on Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, Mr. Jaswant Singh, and Mr. Yashwant Sinha.

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