Pakistan has reiterated its call for comprehensive reforms in the United Nations Security Council, calling the current system of permanent membership outdated and undemocratic.
Speaking at an open debate marking the UN’s 80th anniversary, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmed criticized the concept of individual permanent seats as “the most obsolete concept in today’s world.”
Ambassador Iftikhar argued that the existing permanent members pursue narrow national interests and lack accountability to the wider international community, undermining the Security Council’s credibility.
He said the vast majority of UN member states view the present structure as the root cause of the Council’s crisis and warned that simply adding more permanent seats would entrench privilege rather than resolve systemic flaws.
The Pakistani envoy urged influential nations to support genuine reform rather than protect exclusive privileges. He called for a revamp that restores the UN Charter’s principles and builds a fair, representative system based on equality, democracy, and collective responsibility. “Expanding the club of permanent members without addressing accountability would only perpetuate imbalance,” he said.
Highlighting the debate’s theme — “The United Nations: Towards the Future” — Ambassador Iftikhar stressed that meaningful changes are needed to ensure the global order delivers justice, peace, and equitable development for all nations, not just a powerful few.
He urged member states to abandon outdated notions of privilege and to construct mechanisms that reflect contemporary geopolitical realities and the aspirations of developing countries.
Pakistan’s remarks add to long-standing calls from multiple member states for Security Council reform, a complex and politically sensitive process that has seen limited progress.
Nonetheless, Islamabad’s intervention underscores persistent frustration among many nations and reinvigorates debate about how to make the UN’s most powerful body more legitimate, effective, and accountable. Ambassador Iftikhar urged immediate, inclusive negotiations to produce a concrete reform roadmap urgently.
