Pak opposes expansion of UNSC without veto powers to counter India's move

Islamabad, July 14 (ANI): In an apparent move to stonewall India's efforts to earn a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Pakistan has opposed the proposed expansion of the council, saying an increase in the number of members without veto power serves no purpose.

During a closed-door session of the UN General Assembly on reforming and expanding the council, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UN Hussain Haroon said there is no logic in expanding the membership of the UNSC.

"There is neither a comprehensible criterion nor a definitive logic in the UN Charter for Permanent Members without veto powers to the Security Council," The Daily Times quoted Haroon, as saying.

According to reports, Japan, Germany and emerging economies such as India and Brazil are aspiring to become the new permanent members in an expanded UNSC.

"It is obvious that the existing 'permanent-5' cannot be clumped in a single category, with the individual aspirants of this permanent seat category," Haroon added.

Sources privy to the meeting said that during the last few days of the deliberation the existing five permanent UNSC members, who enjoy veto powers like the US, Britain , France, Russia and China, have ruled out the possibility of extending veto powers to the new permanent UNSC members.

While outlining Pakistan's reasons against having "permanent members without veto powers" the country's envoy said the addition of the permanent members would undermine the leverage of the non-permanent members to keep the veto power in check.

"Addition of the permanent members would further tilt the equation away from the elected non-permanent seats, thus eroding the democratic and accountable credentials of the council," Haroon said. (ANI)