Ambassador Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon addressed the UN Security Council on the threat of small arms and light weapons in South Asia. He criticized the policy of double standards in the region, driven by narrow interests, and called for its abandonment.
Jadoon expressed concern about the widespread availability of these weapons, which undermine human security and hinder development and human rights. He highlighted the destabilizing impact of one state’s excessive military spending, fueled by the generous supply of conventional weaponry and strategic capabilities.
This imbalance jeopardizes regional stability, hampers dispute resolution, and obstructs lasting peace and sustainable development. Jadoon emphasized the risk of conflict escalation between nuclear-armed states due to these imbalances. Pakistan, he stated, is committed to a strategic restraint regime and does not seek an arms race in the region.
The ambassador called for international support to eliminate illicit weapons proliferation and urged measures to prevent their trade and diversion. He also advocated expanding arms control to cover conventional weapons, including cyber and outer space capabilities.
Izumi Nakamitsu, the UN’s High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, highlighted the devastating impact of small arms and light weapons, leading to widespread violence and human rights abuses. Small arms caused 260,000 deaths in 2021 alone.
