Information Minister Shaikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday welcomed decision by the Commonwealth to restore Pakistan's membership saying: "It's a big victory of the people of Pakistan."
Talking to journalists in Rawalpindi after inaugurating 'Pegasus School International', a new educational institution of Al Khair Trust, Shaikh Rashid Ahmed said Islamabad deserved restoration of its membership by the Commonwealth.
He added that the Commonwealth's decision would improve Pakistan's image in the international community.
He told a questioner that Pakistan has honoured all its commitments and taken a number of steps to get restored its membership by the Commonwealth and would keep on doing so in the future to maintain its posture as a real democracy.
He called the Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian's (PPPP) letter to the Commonwealth to block its re-entry as a futile exercise.
The Commonwealth had suspended Pakistan's membership with the ouster of Nawaz Sharif's government in 1999 and made restoration of the membership subject to the restoration of democracy.
Earlier, in his address as chief guest, Shaikh Rashid counted his efforts towards promotion of education in Rawalpindi, his hometown, and reaffirmed his commitment to carry on what he called great mission to change Rawalpindi into an educational hub.
The minister recalled that the idea to set up modern educational institutions in Rawalpindi came to his mind during his stay in Manchester.
He took credit of establishing 42 educational institutions in Rawalpindi during last few years which is a record. The minister reaffirmed his commitment for setting up more educational institutions and an IT university in Rawalpindi.
He appreciated Al Khair Trust's role in providing quality education to the students and offered all-out support to its management to push forward their agenda of shaping up the future through quality education.
Chairman of Al Khair Trust Dr Bashir Ahmed Goraya, in his welcome address, said his trust was working with the missionary purpose to provide quality education to students, which he called as a real service to the nation.
AFP ADDS: Pakistan was welcomed back into the 53-nation body on Saturday, but with a warning to stick firmly on the road to true democracy.
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) - a nine-nation committee of foreign ministers that enforces the Commonwealth's core political principles - found that the world's second most populous Muslim nation has been making good on pledges to restore democratic government.
"The Group welcomed the progress made in restoring democracy and rebuilding democratic institutions in Pakistan ... and decided therefore that Pakistan should no longer remain suspended from the councils of the Commonwealth," said Commonwealth secretary-general Don McKinnon.
"However, CMAG noted continuing concern in regard to the strengthening of the democratic process in Pakistan," said McKinnon, reading a statement to reporters after a two-day meeting in London.
"The group further hoped that the process of democratisation would be consolidated in such a way as to encourage a broader embrace of the Harare principles," he said, referring to the Commonwealth's democracy credo.
"CMAG agreed to remain seized of the situation by retaining Pakistan on its agenda," McKinnon said, adding that the group would review Pakistan again at its next meeting in September on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Taking part in the London meeting were the foreign ministers of Lesotho, Malta, Nigeria, Samoa and Tanzania, and senior diplomats from the Bahamas, Canada, India and Sri Lanka deputising for their respective foreign ministers.
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