The 53-nation Commonwealth suspended Pakistan this evening, after President Pervez Musharraf failed to meet a deadline to lift emergency rule and resign as head of the army.
The Commonwealth had given Gen Musharraf until today to lift the state of emergency he imposed on November 3rd.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), charged with reviewing Pakistan's membership said Gen Musharraf had not yet lifted emergency rule and had failed to stand down as army chief.
CMAG had therefore "suspended Pakistan forthwith from the Commonwealth ... for its violations," Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon told a news conference.
Earlier, Pakistan's Supreme Court threw out a final challenge to Gen Musharraf's re-election and paved the way for him to quit as head of the chief.
The Court, stacked with judges friendly to Gen Musharraf, dismissed the sixth and final challenge to Musharraf's October 6th re-appointment by parliament.
Attorney General Malik Qayyum said before the ruling he expected Gen Musharraf to be sworn in for a second term "by the weekend or immediately thereafter".
Gen Musharraf repeatedly promised to relinquish his army post and be sworn in as a civilian leader for a second five-year term in what he calls a transition to civilian-led democracy once his re-election had been endorsed by the court.