ISLAMABAD: Taking a strong exception to the idea of giving India a seat in United Nation’s Security Council UNSC) for an indefinite period of time, Pakistan Thursday reiterated that instead of increasing permanent members the UN should focus on reforms to make the council more democratic, responsible, and effective.
“Pakistan cannot support India’s permanent presence in UNSC as a country that has been violating the decisions of this very council doesn’t qualify to become its member,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Ms Tasnim Aslam said in a weekly briefing here.
She said that India had been in violation of Security Council of United Nations, especially its chapter 2, relating to Jammu and Kahsmir dispute and the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, thus it was not eligible for the membership.
“Pakistan, as a part of the Uniting for Consensus (UFC) group has always advocated an effective and feasible reform of the Security Council based on consensus among the UN membership,” she said.
A reformed UNSC should reflect interests of the wider UN membership, Ms Aslam. “Pakistan is of the view that making new centers of power in the council will render it even more undemocratic,” said the FO spokesperson.
She told the newsmen that India had increased its defence budget by 12 percent –which now stands at US$ 38.35 billion. “India is one of the top buyers of conventional weapons in the last three years and its defence budget,” Ms Aslam said.
The spokesperson said that reformed Security Council did not mean extension in the permanent membership but it means more responsible and more democratic.
“US-India conventional weapons deal will only destabilize the region by causing an imbalance,” Ms Aslam said.