Pakistan values its role in advancing the global disarmament & arms control agenda through a consensus-based approach: FS Amna Baloch

ISLAMABAD, Feb 26 (SABAH): Foreign Secretary of Pakistan Ambassador Amna Baloch has said that Pakistan values its role in advancing the global disarmament and arms control agenda through a consensus-based approach.

Foreign Secretary Ambassador Amna Baloch while addressing the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament said, “It is a pleasure for me to speak at the High-Level Segment of the Conference on Disarmament (CD). I congratulate Japan on assuming the Presidency of this important body.”

She said, “CD is an indispensable part of the UN disarmament machinery. Pakistan values its role in advancing the global disarmament and arms control agenda through a consensus-based approach.”

“The international security landscape remains volatile. Strategic rivalries once confined to security are now spilling into trade, technology, and economy. Unresolved conflicts and long-standing disputes persist. The UN Charter’s core principles, especially the non-use of force, are repeatedly violated. Cooperation is giving way to arms race. Global defense spending has surpassed $ 2.4 trillion,” she said.

“Increasingly international norms are being applied selectively. Allies receive exemptions. Others while caught in the great power politics, face harsh scrutiny. Resulting asymmetries are eroding regional security and stability,” she remarked.

Ambassador Amna Baloch said, “Furthermore, major military powers resist treaties which require compromises on their strategic advantages. They only back proposals that cost them nothing. CD does not operate in a vacuum. Geopolitical tensions shape its work. For nearly three decades, this body has been deadlocked. Yet, history proves that the CD can deliver important treaties and it must do so again.”

She said, “I would like to highlight three urgent risks that demand immediate action: Firstly, at the strategic level, nuclear arsenals are being modernized. Destabilizing systems such as the hypersonic weapons and ABMs are being deployed. Doctrinal shifts are lowering thresholds for conflict. Secondly, the warfare is transforming. Emerging technologies are reshaping battlefields in an unprecedented way. Cyber, AI, and space technologies are being militarized for strategic dominance. The most advanced states resist any regulation of these lethal capabilities. The stakes have never been higher. Thirdly, the UN disarmament fora have failed to adapt their agendas to new security realities. They remain stuck in time. Stagnation in global arms control threatens stability.”

“Surely, these trends fuel new nuclear risks and deepen insecurity. This warrants a new paradigm — one that integrates risk reduction and restraint across nuclear, conventional, space and emerging technologies domains,” she added.

“The raison d’etre of the CD is nuclear disarmament. Yet, it remains unable to advance its two oldest agenda items—nuclear disarmament and Negative Security Assurances (NSAs).  For several decades, we have also been unable to negotiate a treaty to prevent an arms race in outer space. The CD must advance nuclear disarmament by addressing the underlying security concerns that drive states to rely on nuclear weapons,” she further said.

She said, “A treaty on Negative Security Assurances (NSA) is the lowest-hanging fruit. It can build confidence, ease tensions, and reaffirm the right of non-nuclear states to security assurances. CD is stalled to negotiate a legally binding treaty for the Preventing of Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) – one of the core issues on its agenda. Artificial Intelligence in military applications also demands immediate attention. We must establish guardrails before it is too late. The CD must address how to resolve its stability risks including dangers of miscalculation, escalation, and arms races.”

“Conventional military asymmetries drive nuclear reliance. A balanced reduction of armed forces and conventional arms must be part of a comprehensive security framework. These are the most urgent areas where we must act. Our ability to start negotiations in this Conference depends on the policy priorities of its members, their threat perceptions and their core national security concerns. It is disingenuous when some choose to insist on pursuing cost-free proposals, which impinge on security of others. A Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) is one such initiative,” she said.

She said, “Pakistan is not opposed to discussion on fissile materials. We have proposed crafting a new mandate for a treaty that addresses the issue of fissile material comprehensively, effectively and verifiably. It should stipulate existing fissile material stocks explicitly in its scope – and this should apply equally to all States without discrimination.”

“The largest state in South Asia continues to benefit from nuclear exceptionalism, receiving advanced weapons and technologies. Meanwhile, it pursues aggressive, destabilizing policies in the region. It refuses to implement UNSC Resolutions on illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where the situation remains precarious. This State continues with its rapid arms build-up, expanding and increasing its nuclear arsenal,” she said.

“It has leveraged technology acquired through international cooperation, into its Ballistic Missile Program. As a result, its growing missile arsenal can strike well beyond its neighbourhood, reaching far-east and western territories. Cannestrization of its missiles with ready-to -launch status poses added layer of risks. This state regularly issues threats of aggression against my country from senior political leadership. It rejects dialogue on restraint and risk reduction. Its military doctrines seek war in a nuclear environment,” she said.

She further said, “Pakistan grapples with the dangers posed by this State’s weak command and control over its strategic forces, as evidenced by firing of Barahmos missile into our territory in 2022.

“Pakistan will not remain oblivious to clear threats to its security. We will maintain credible minimum deterrence against all forms of aggression. Despite continuing provocations and threats, Pakistan remains committed to the goal of a peaceful and stable South Asia. Pakistan’s proposal on the establishment of a Strategic Restraint Regime (SRR) in the region remains on the table, premised on the three elements: dispute resolution, nuclear and missile restraint and conventional arms balance,” she said.

“For CD to remain an affective negotiating forum, it must adhere to its founding principles of equal and undiminished security for all states while promoting general and complete disarmament. On its part, Pakistan remains committed to revitalizing this forum. Through constructive dialogue, we must overcome decades of deadlock. We may do so by an arms control paradigm that promotes restraint at global and regional levels. To achieve this, trust must be restored, inside and outside this Conference, she said. 

Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch said, “In January this year, Pakistan began its eighth term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. During our tenure, we will work towards earnestly addressing the root causes of conflicts, prioritizing diplomacy over confrontation, and supporting confidence-building at regional and global levels. Towards these endeavors, Pakistan will remain a willing and a constructive partner of the international community.”