New Delhi: United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has given a big blow to Pakistan by supporting India’s demand for reforms in the Security Council (UNSC). Guterres supported increasing the permanent seats in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and said that this organization does not represent today’s world. It is special that the UN Chief made this statement on Pakistani soil and while standing right next to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister.
The UN Secretary General is on a three-day official visit to Pakistan. On Tuesday, when he was holding a joint press conference with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, a journalist asked a question about Kashmir. The UN Chief ignored the question and started talking about the Security Council. He said, “The Security Council does not represent today’s world.”
Support for India’s demand
He further stated that the Security Council has three members from Europe, but no African member—I mean the permanent members. This means that the Security Council faces a problem of legitimacy and effectiveness. Citing ongoing conflicts around the world, he called for major reforms in the functioning of the Security Council. He said that today we are witnessing a situation where the superpowers, who are permanent members of the Security Council, are the first to initiate conflicts.
Setback for Pakistan
The UN Secretary-General said that countries with greater responsibility in the world need to understand that when it comes to principles of law, they must unite to ensure that those principles are fully implemented. Guterres’ statement from Pakistani soil is a blow to Islamabad’s campaign to oppose the expansion of the Security Council’s permanent membership.
Recently, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmed, opposed the admission of new members to the Security Council. Instead, he supported increasing the number of non-permanent members in the 15-member body. Speaking to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, he said, “The admission of any new permanent member will only aggravate the problem. Simply put, the problem itself cannot be the solution.”
