LONDON: Commonwealth Secretary-General Don McKinnon on Saturday welcomed the lifting of the state of emergency and the restoration of the Constitution in Pakistan.

“With just over three weeks to go before Pakistan goes to the polls, the lifting of the state of emergency is an important step in the process of creating the conditions for the holding of the elections,” he said in a statement.

“This follows the earlier relinquishment by President Musharraf of his position as the chief of Army staff, which had been a longstanding demand of Commonwealth heads of the government, reiterated most recently at their meeting in Kampala,” he added.

While he was glad that many political detainees and human rights activists had been released in recent weeks, he expressed the hope that all the remaining political detainees would also be released soon.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday hailed the lifting of emergency as a “significant step.”

After a telephone call with President Musharraf, Brown called for a “level playing field” in the elections. “This is another significant step towards the return of full constitutional order,” Brown said in a statement.

Also, Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday welcomed the lifting of emergency in Pakistan.

In the meantime, ambassadors of various countries stationed in Islamabad have also welcomed the lifting of emergency and the restoration of the Constitution.

During a diplomatic ceremony on Saturday in Islamabad, they appreciated the development ahead of the elections and expressed the hope that the elections would be free, fair and transparent. Democracy would further strengthen in the country with the set up of a democratic government after the elections, they added.