Pakistan was suspended from the 53-nation organisation after then army chief Pervez Musharraf seized power in a military coup in 1999.

Pakistan was reinstated five years later in May 2004 after intense lobbying, with the Commonwealth noting progress in restoring democracy.

But McKinnon said the group was watching reforms in Pakistan and had earmarked an end-of-year deadline for Musharraf to stop holding dual posts as president and army chief.

"Pakistan is no longer suspended, but it still remains on the agenda," McKinnon, in Malaysia as part of a regional tour, told AFP in an interview.

Commonwealth leaders have noted Musharraf has "done a lot to bring a degree of normalcy and democracy back to the country," he said, citing increased participation by women and minority groups in parliament.

"But the one thing that they were concerned about was that President Musharraf was still holding the office of president and operational commander of the armed forces," he said.

"By the end of this year, they would expect him to divide those two offices," he said.

McKinnon would not say if the Commonwealth would consider another suspension for Pakistan if Musharraf did not make the deadline, but signalled the group would take the matter seriously.

"Commonwealth leaders will not be very happy, I can put it that way, if that decision is not dealt with," he said.

He said Pakistan, which had bitterly criticised its suspension, was "keen to maintain their status in the Commonwealth" and that the country had willingly worked with the group.

"We do recognise that Pakistan does have more problems than just its relationship with the Commonwealth," McKinnon said.

"But on the other hand, the Commonwealth does have certain ideals, certain criteria, which we expect nations to maintain," he said.

Pakistan's foreign ministry promptly rejected McKinnon's concerns.