Pakistan to review Commonwealth ties after suspension

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan said on Friday it would review its future association with the Commonwealth after being suspended from the 53-nation group because President Pervez Musharraf failed to meet a deadline to end emergency rule.

The Commonwealth, mostly comprising former British colonies, had given Musharraf until Thursday to lift the emergency he imposed on November 3.

Musharraf is expected to meet another of the Commonwealth's key demands by stepping down as army chief and taking the oath as a civilian president

Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told Reuters that Pakistan deeply regretted the decision of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group to suspend Pakistan .

"The CMAG decision is unreasonable and unjustified. Pakistan will review its association and further cooperation with the organization."

Musharraf, a key U.S. ally against Islamist militancy, has been under tremendous international pressure to restore the constitution and end emergency rule.

Analysts believe Musharraf's main motive for resorting to emergency powers was to purge the Supreme Court of judges he feared would annul his October 6 re-election by parliament.

On Thursday a top court packed with Musharraf-friendly judges threw out the last of six legal challenges to his re-election, paving the way for him to serve a second five-year term. He has promised to quit the army to become a civilian leader.

The Pakistani government asked the Commonwealth this week to delay its decision after authorities began rolling back some elements of emergency rule, freeing thousands of detainees held in a crackdown and allowing television news channels back on air.

However, the CMAG, charged with reviewing Pakistan's membership, said the situation in the country "continues to represent a serious violation of the Commonwealth's fundamental political values".

While suspension has few immediate practical effects, analysts say it could further isolate Pakistan, discourage foreign investment, and undermine Musharraf at a time when he is juggling political challenges from former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Musharraf allowed Bhutto to return from years of living abroad last month, and Sharif, the premier he deposed in 1999, is expected back within days, according to aides.

(Reporting by Augustine Anthony; writing by Zeeshan Haider; editing by Roger Crabb)