Pakistan has been suspended from the Commonwealth because of its imposition of emergency rule, the organisation has announced after a meeting in Uganda.
Secretary General Don McKinnon said Pakistan was being suspended "pending restoration of democracy and the rule of law".
Earlier Pakistan's Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to Pervez Musharraf's re-election as president.
The president has said he will now step down as head of the army.
Mr McKinnon said the 53-member Commonwealth had reached the decision by consensus.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the "decision was taken in sorrow, not in anger", and that he hoped the group would be able to welcome Pakistan back soon.
Pakistan must free judges before vote: U.N. (click here)
By Jonathan Saul
DUBLIN (Reuters) - Pakistan must reinstate all the judges dismissed under emergency rule or endure a "twisted form of democracy" where the judiciary is utterly subservient to the executive, UN human rights boss Louise Arbour said on Thursday.
Allies of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf are gearing up for an election on January 8 while his opponents are still undecided whether to boycott polls they say will not be free and fair under emergency rule, which was imposed on November 3.
Many judges and lawyers whose interpretation of the law posed the most serious challenge to Musharraf's authority, remain under house arrest or in prison.
Earlier in the day the Supreme Court, now stacked with judges friendly to Musharraf, threw out the last challenge to his October 6 re-election and paved the way for him to quit as army chief....
