At the United Nations, Pakistan has called for a new international arms control order that addresses the security concerns of all states to counter the growing challenges stemming from deep divisions in approaches, perspectives, and priorities.
Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations Khalil Hashmi, stated this while speaking at the UN General Assembly’s First Committee on Tuesday. The First Committee deals with disarmament and international security matters.
Hashmi said equity, non-discrimination, and faithful adherence to long-standing rules and norms on arms control are crucial.
“To counter the growing challenges to the international arms control order, concerted efforts are needed, especially by nuclear-weapon states,” said Hashmi. “This requires demonstration of political will, the pursuit of cooperative multilateralism, and adherence to the fundamental principles of UN charter and SSOD-I,” he added.
Suggested key elements of the int’l arms control order
Hashmi said a new international arms control order needs to be evolved by
- Addressing the security concerns of all states
- Fulfilling nuclear disarmament obligations
- Advancing conventional arms control
- Strengthening the non-proliferation regime by shunning double standards
- Legally-binding negative security assurances to non-nuclear weapon states
- Concluding legally-binding instrument to fill the gaps in the international legal regime on outer space
- Ensuring that new and emerging technologies are not utilized to undermine regional or global strategic stability
International trade in conventional arms is worrisome
The Ambassador said the global military expenditures and international trade in conventional arms have reached unprecedented levels.
Despite clear gains after the end of the cold war and strong normative support by the General Assembly, there was a clear regression in conventional arms control at the regional and sub-regional levels. Consequently, political and military tensions, strategic asymmetries, and nuclear dangers are growing, he added.
“South Asia bears witness to deliberate stalling of Pakistan’s long-standing proposals for conventional balance in forces and armaments,” Ambassador Hashmi added.
Referring to India’s arms build-up, the permanent envoy said that the largest state, driven by its pursuit of regional hegemony and aided by generous supplies of conventional and non-conventional weaponry, continued to operationalize dangerous doctrines.