The Sultan of Brunei has pulled out of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at the eleventh hour, with no official reason being given.

Sources said everything had been booked ahead of the visit by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his 60 delegates. However, the visit was abruptly called off late Tuesday.

The Sultan hit the headlines last year when he announced that he would phase in Sharia law, which calls for homosexuals and adulterers to be stoned to death.

This year, it will introduce death by stoning for sodomy and adultery

Campaigners called for the oil-rich country to be suspended from the Commonwealth, while the British army said it was seeking assurances about the implications of the country’s strict new laws for the 700 Gurkhas (British army composed of Nepalese soldiers) based in the country.

Fines or jail terms for offences ranging from indecent behaviour and failure to attend Friday prayers to out-of-wedlock pregnancies were introduced last year, along with a second phase covering crimes such as theft and robbery, involving more stringent penalties such as severing of limbs and flogging.

This year, punishments such as death by stoning for offences including sodomy and adultery will be introduced.