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UNGA urges Pakistan, India and Israel to follow non-proliferation treaty
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NEW YORK - A resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday urged Pakistan, India and Israel to follow the terms of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and drop their nuclear weapons.
The resolution aims at achieving a nuclear weapon-free world and it marked out three nations to reduce nuclear-weapons.
The resolution also advised the three countries to keep their nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, which prohibit nations from developing nuclear weapons.
The UN joined India, Pakistan and Israel to vote against this part of the resolution. However, France, Britain and Bhutan did not participate in the voting.
The resolution was passed with 165 votes in the 193-member UNGA, with 21 countries absent. Britain, Israel, North Korea and Russia also joined the United States (US) and India in voting against the resolution, while Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Micronesia and Palau abstained from voting.
The report stated that these resolutions are not imperative and carry only symbolic meaning under the UN Charter. UNGA also advised the member nations to take measures against terrorists who could have access to deadly weapons.
In a separate resolution, the reduction in operational readiness of nuclear weapons was stressed, as after the end of cold war a huge number of nuclear weapons were found in active state. The resolution also made a plea to the five nuclear states to re-evaluate the nuclear doctrines and ensure the low risk of the use of nuclear weapons.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk