At UNGA debate, Pakistan warns against adding more members to Security Council, extending veto privileges

Dawn · 27/10/2026، 7:08:28 AM

Pakistan has warned that adding more permanent members to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and extending veto privileges would “deepen existing inequalities, perpetuate historical advantages and increase the risk of Council paralysis”. The counsellor at the Pakistan Mission at UN, Gul Qaiser Sarwani, presented these views at the UN General Assembly during a debate on the use of the veto. He said Pakistan called for “comprehensive, democratic and equitable reform of the UN Security Council” and stressed that the misuse of veto power undermined UNSC’s effectiveness, weakened the credibility of the UN and perpetuated inequalities within the international system. “Strategic rivalries and narrow interests among the Council’s permanent members had repeatedly impeded collective action on international peace and security,” he said, emphasising the “unique legitimacy” of the UNGA, whose universal membership and democratic decision-making enabled it to respond when the UNSC unable to act, including due to the exercise of the veto. The Pakistani delegate opposed the creation of any new permanent seats in an expanded Security Council. On proposals to regulate the use of the veto, he said Pakistan favoured its abolition or, at a minimum, severe restrictions on its use. He emphasised that the veto must not be expanded and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for General Assembly resolution 76/262, which provides for a UNGA debate following the exercise of a veto to promote greater accountability. Sarwani stressed that any measures to restrain the veto must remain consistent with the UN Charter. He called for a balanced approach combining restrictions on veto use with enhanced representation and a stronger role for elected members of the UNSC, making its decision-making “more democratic and providing an effective check on the exercise of veto power”. The delegate further emphasised that the question of the veto must be addressed alongside the other four interrelated clusters un