Pakistan Opposes Expansion of Veto Power, Calls for Inclusive and Democratic UN Security Council Reform

New York: Pakistan has said it opposes any expansion of veto power in the United Nations Security Council and has called for comprehensive, democratic, and equitable reform of the Council.

Speaking at the United Nations, Gul Qaiser Sarwani, Counsellor at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN, said Pakistan opposes both the creation of new permanent members and the extension of the veto privilege. He warned that adding more veto-holding members would deepen existing inequality within the Security Council.

Abolishing or Restricting the Veto

Sarwani said Pakistan supports either abolishing the veto or placing strict limits on its use. He added that misuse of the veto has damaged the credibility of the United Nations.

Pakistan also reaffirmed its support for the practice of holding a debate in the UN General Assembly whenever a veto is cast in the Security Council. The mechanism was introduced to strengthen accountability among the permanent members.

Strengthening the Role of Elected Members

The Pakistani diplomat called for more elected members on the Security Council, along with stronger representation and a greater role for them. He stressed that decisions on all five key areas of Security Council reform should be taken together, as part of a single comprehensive package, rather than in a piecemeal way.

“Reforms must be for all, and no one should be granted special privileges,” Sarwani said.

Pakistan has long argued that adding new permanent seats would entrench privilege and run against the principle of sovereign equality among UN member states. As a member of the Uniting for Consensus group, it instead advocates expanding the Council’s non-permanent membership through regular elections, which it says would make the body more representative, accountable, and democratic.