*Statement by Ambassador Usman Jadoon*
*Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan*
*At Thematic Debate on Nuclear Weapons (Cluster 1)*
*(The First Committee of the 80th UN General Assembly Session*
*(21 October 2025)*
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Chair,
1. Nuclear disarmament has been a central goal of the international community since 1946.
2. The Final Document of the SSOD-I in 1978 set a clear direction — general and complete disarmament under effective international control as the final objective, and the time-bound elimination of nuclear weapons as the immediate one. It also reminded us that the right of every State to security must be safeguarded, and that disarmament should bring undiminished security for all at the lowest possible level of armaments.
3. Yet today, we are witnessing a troubling regression. The salience of nuclear weapons in military doctrines is rising along with modernization of arsenals, heightening new risks of escalation. The global disarmament and arms control framework is under stress.
4. Compounding this is the weaponization of emerging technologies — blurring the line between conventional and nuclear domains and increasing risks of miscalculation.
5. We also see States with vast fissile material stockpiles pushing selective, cost-free proposals, such as focusing only on a cut-off, while ignoring existing asymmetries.
6. At the same time, the non-proliferation regime is weakened by discriminatory waivers and selective safeguards, especially in the transfer of nuclear material and sensitive technology.
7. Nowhere is this erosion clearer than in South Asia. Our eastern neighbour continues to expand unsafeguarded stockpiles while benefiting from special nuclear cooperation agreements. It has raised the operational readiness of its arsenal through canisterization of delivery systems — despite a record of accidental launches. Earlier this year it used dual-capable delivery systems for the first time — a reckless act that heightened regional instability and underscored the fragility of nuclear restraint.
8. Pakistan remains committed to the goal of a nuclear-weapon-free world — achieved in a universal, verifiable, and non-discriminatory manner.
9. Disarmament must address both regional and global realities. For many States, the reasons for retaining nuclear weapons remain clear: unequal security environments, unresolved disputes, threats from larger military states, failure of the UN to implement its own Charter and resolutions, and discrimination in applying international norms.
10. Until we achieve a world without nuclear weapons, the negotiation of a legally binding instrument providing non-nuclear-weapon States with assurances against the use or threat of use of such weapons is the most urgent priority.
11. During this session, Pakistan has once again tabled its traditional draft resolution on Negative Security Assurances. We look forward to its adoption with the widest possible support.
I thank you.
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