and sub-regional context is of paramount importance.
Most questions at the briefing pertained to the recently concluded visit by Barack Obama to India in which apart from other issues, he publicly supported India’s entry into the UNSC.“The UN Security Council is the primary organ of the United Nations for international peace and security. As the adviser (Sartaj Aziz) pointed out in his statement, India is in violation of the rights of people of Kashmir to self-determination. How does a country with such record qualify to become a permanent member of the UNSC?” she asked.
In this regard, the spokesperson said that the issue of Security Council reforms was of vital national importance for all the United Nations member states. “It is in the interest of everyone to seek more democratic, effective and credible mechanism of maintenance of international peace and security through comprehensive reform of the Security Council. 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. A reformed Security Council should reflect the interests of the wider UN membership.
“In our view, the idea of new permanent members creates new centers of power and privileges, and could make the UNSC even more undemocratic,” she added.Pakistan once again also questioned the Indo-US defence agreement which she explained would only add to the conventional asymmetry and hence strategic instability.
“On the conventional side, India’s massive acquisition of weapons further complicates the regional strategic stability. India’s defence spending has increased by 12% in 2014-15 and stands at US$38.35 billion. India has been the top buyers of arms for the last three years. Pakistan has been proposing a three-pronged Strategic Restraint Regime consisting (I) conflict resolution, (II) nuclear and missile restraint and (III) conventional balance,” she said.
However, the spokesperson was reluctant to give details of the security adviser’s remarks that Pakistan suffered from foreign-sponsored terrorism.“We are not in business of making public allegations and disclosing information through the media. We engage the countries concerned and we engage the international community. Our concerns and evidence have been shared with all concerned,” she said.