UN committee passes Pakistan arms control resolution; India, Israel alone oppose

Pakistan's resolution on conventional arms control at the regional and subregional levels was adopted in the UN General Assembly's First Committee on Tuesday with 180 votes in favour. India and Israel were the only members to vote against the text, according to BBC Urdu. The committee has 193 members, and the United States, China and Russia all voted in support.

The draft was presented jointly by Pakistan and Belarus. UrduPoint reported that the committee approved three Pakistan-sponsored resolutions by a heavy majority.

India's First Secretary at its permanent mission to the UN, Anmol Sher Bedi, told the committee that New Delhi was not fully convinced the issue should be pursued primarily in a regional and subregional context, arguing that conventional arms control is a global question. India objected in particular to a proposal to task the UN Disarmament Commission with drawing up principles that would form a framework for regional conventional arms control agreements.

Bedi said the commission had already reached consensus three times: the 1993 guidelines on regional disarmament, the 1999 guidelines on conventional arms control and disarmament, and the 2017 practical measures for confidence-building in the conventional arms field. "We fail to understand why a second round of discussion is needed on a topic that has already been discussed in detail, unless the aim is to keep the UN disarmament machinery occupied," he said.

The draft states that conventional arms control efforts should be pursued mainly through regional and subregional mechanisms, arguing that many current threats to international peace and security arise from tensions between neighbouring states. It calls for agreements aimed at strengthening regional security by keeping armaments and armed forces at the lowest possible level, and assigns special responsibility to major countries and those with greater military capabilities.

BBC Urdu reported that the text sets no binding regional arms limits, does not bar Indian arms purchases and establishes no mechanism for military parity between India and Pakistan. Russia supported the previous version of the resolution in 2025, and no official explanation for its vote this time has been made public.

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the vote that the First Committee had approved Pakistan's proposals with overwhelming support, which it said showed the international community's backing for Pakistan's arms control efforts. The ministry said the resolution titled "Confidence-building measures in the regional and subregional context" was adopted without a vote, while the conventional arms control text drew 180 votes. "For decades, we have been advancing such arms-related matters as a UN initiative," the statement said.

Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, Tahir Andrabi, wrote on X that Pakistan was pleased with the broad support given to three Pakistan-led resolutions in the First Committee.