Pakistan on Tuesday called at the UN General Assembly for the Security Council veto to be abolished or, at a minimum, severely restricted. Speaking in a debate on the use of the veto, Gul Qaiser Sarwani, Counsellor and Political Coordinator at Pakistan's Mission to the UN, said misuse of the veto undermined the council's effectiveness and weakened the credibility of the United Nations.
Sarwani said strategic rivalries and narrow interests among the permanent members had repeatedly blocked collective action on international peace and security. He warned that adding permanent members with veto privileges would deepen existing inequalities and raise the risk of paralysis in the council.
Restating the position of the Uniting for Consensus group, Pakistan opposed the creation of any new permanent seats in an expanded council. The Pakistani delegate also reaffirmed support for General Assembly Resolution 76/262, which requires an Assembly debate whenever a veto is cast.
Sarwani called for a balanced approach that pairs limits on the veto with better representation and a stronger role for elected members, and said the veto must be addressed together with the other four interlinked clusters of Security Council reform as one comprehensive package.