And the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Don McKinnon, has warned that the referendum should not be used to entrench any undemocratic form of government in Pakistan.

BBC: Q&A: Pakistan referendum

The VIP guest list was headed by Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon, High Commissioners of eight Commonwealth countries, Chief Scout George Purdy, Scout Association vice-president Major General Michael Walsh and Welsh Scout Council president William Legge-Bourke.

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At a meeting of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group in London this week, Don McKinnon, the Commonwealth secretary-general, said that if the election were to be held in June, international observers would have to arrive at once.

ECONOMIST: Zimbabwe