Commonwealth gives Pakistan November 22 deadline

Pakistan will be suspended from the Commonwealth nations after November 22 if President Pervez Musharraf does not restore the constitution, reinstate the independence of the judiciary, hold elections and step down as army chief of staff.

The dateline was decided at a meeting of the nine-member Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) in London Monday.

'The message to Pakistan is clear,' said Michael Frendo, the Foreign Minister of Malta, who chaired the five-hour meeting.

General Musharraf had been given a clear deadline, he added.