UNITED NATIONS: On Wednesday, Pakistan urged the United Nations Security Council to support negotiations to control the accumulation of nuclear and conventional weapons.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also supported the call for expanding the council in his address to the Security Council in New York, but he opposed adding new permanent members.
He stated, “This council should support negotiations to limit and control the global and regional buildup of nuclear and conventional arms, including the development and deployment of new weapons and military technologies.”
He stated that non-nuclear states must receive legally binding assurances from nuclear weapons states that they will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.
The foreign minister was responding to a concept note that India, which is in charge of the UN Security Council’s current session and is debating a new direction for reforming multilateralism, had distributed.
Live: Foreign Minister and Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari addressing the Security Council meeting at the United Nations https://t.co/fygQhK7F1R
— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) December 14, 2022
S Jaishankar, the Indian Minister for External Affairs, addressed the council before his Pakistani counterpart and accused China and Pakistan of “misusing multilateral platforms” to further their interests.
He asserted, “Multilateral platforms are being misused to justify and protect perpetrators of terrorism even as the world is coming together with a more collective response.” This seemed to be a reference to China, which has stopped several attempts by India to defame Pakistan using the UN platform.
After New Delhi claimed its troops clashed with Chinese troops last week, UN Secretary-General’s Spokesman Stephane Dujarric urged both China and India to ease tensions along the Sino-Indian disputed Himalayan border on Tuesday.
EAM @DrSJaishankar hits out at Pakistan as Pak FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari raked up Kashmir at the UNSC @ABPNews pic.twitter.com/F4URoidssn
— Ashish K Singh (ABP News) (@AshishSinghLIVE) December 14, 2022
Mr. Bhutto-Zardari, on the other hand, emphasized the need to expand multilateralism rather than limit it, as India had suggested. One commendable multilateral undertaking for the world body is to limit the utilization of deadly weapons, he said.
The foreign minister added, “New and lethal weapons that can cause massive and indiscriminate suffering or lower the threshold of conflict should be prohibited.”
The use of nuclear and other technology for peaceful purposes must be free of discrimination. As agreed upon at the first UNGA special session on disarmament, the objective must be to ensure equal security for all States, he stated.
He remarked that the UN General Assembly was the most universal global forum, and as such, it ought to play a central role in bolstering multilateralism and enhancing international relations’ equity and justice.
“The focus of the world must also shift away from narrow national ambitions and toward addressing the numerous global threats and challenges we face: climate change; nuclear threat; terrorism; migrants and refugees; hunger and famine; the misapplication of the metaverse,” Mr. Bhutto-Zardari stated.
The UN Charter’s fundamental principles of self-determination, non-use or threat of force, non-acquisition of territory by force, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States, and non-interference in their internal affairs must be the foundation of “multilateralism.”
In addition, the minister emphasized the necessity of democratizing the global financial and economic governance structures, particularly the Bretton Woods institutions like the World Bank and IMF.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) turned down Pakistan and Argentina’s request on Tuesday to not collect a surcharge on their loans, giving those nations more time to repair their ailing economies.
Mr. Bhutto-Zardari noticed that for more than 20 years, the UN General Gathering has been taking part in endeavors to change of the Security Chamber through an extension in its enrollment and impartial portrayal of UN part states.
Concerning matters such as the size of an expanded Council, there are disagreements within the United Nations; classifications of enrollment; the use of veto power; regional representation, and the Council’s working procedures.
While urging UN members not to “advance national ambitions of a few large countries,” the foreign minister stated, “Agreement can be reached if all the parties concerned display flexibility and mutual accommodation.” India’s desire to become a permanent member with veto power was made clear in this. However, the world body was reminded by Mr. Bhutto-Zardari that “the addition of new permanent members will further complicate the Council’s ability to take timely decisions and defeat the objective of equitable representation of all member states.”
