Pakistan on Tuesday called for sweeping reforms of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), advocating the abolition of the veto power or stringent limits on its use to prevent powerful nations from obstructing collective action on international peace and security.
Addressing a United Nations General Assembly debate on the use of the veto, Gul Qaiser Sarwani, Counsellor and Political Coordinator at Pakistan’s Mission to the UN, said the misuse of this privilege had weakened the Security Council’s effectiveness, undermined the credibility of the United Nations and reinforced inequalities in the international system.
Sarwani said strategic competition and narrow national interests among the council’s permanent members had repeatedly prevented coordinated responses to global peace and security challenges.
He underscored the General Assembly’s importance as a forum representing all UN member states, saying its universal membership and democratic decision-making provided an avenue for collective engagement when the Security Council failed to act, including in cases involving a veto.
The Pakistani representative cautioned that creating additional permanent seats and extending veto privileges would entrench existing power imbalances, preserve historical advantages and increase the likelihood of institutional deadlock.
Reiterating Pakistan’s position within the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group, he opposed proposals to establish new permanent seats in an expanded Security Council.
On efforts to regulate the veto, Sarwani said Pakistan supported eliminating the power altogether or, at the very least, imposing severe restrictions on its exercise. He stressed that any reform must not extend the privilege to additional countries.
He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for UN General Assembly Resolution 76/262, which provides for a General Assembly meeting when a permanent Security Council member exercises its veto, strengthening scrutiny and accountability.
Sarwani emphasised that any restrictions must comply with the UN Charter. He called for a balanced reform framework that combines limitations on veto use with improved representation and a greater role for elected Security Council members.
He further stressed that the veto question should be addressed alongside the four other interconnected areas under the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process on Security Council reform, rather than in isolation.
Concluding his remarks, Sarwani said Pakistan remained committed to a comprehensive, democratic and equitable reform agenda aimed at correcting structural imbalances and ensuring that the council served the interests of the entire UN membership.
“Reform for all. Privilege for None!” he said.