(United Nations Security Council): In a meeting of the Inter-Governmental Negotiations Framework Pakistan permanent representative to United Nations ambassador Munir Akram confirmed that Pakistan has opposed the addition of new permanent members to the UN Security Council at the United Nations Pakistan as it will cause the Council’s inequality and dysfunctionality. Ambassador Munir Akram reiterated Pakistan’s principled stance on restructuring the Security Council by expansion in the non-permanent category so that the idea of a comprehensive reform can be met. Akram forced that the progress in the process of reforms can be made only through discussions, mutual reconciliation, and innovative compromise and not through bullying and pressure. “Permanent membership contradicts the fundamental precepts of sovereign equality, democracy, representativeness and accountability. If progress is to be made in SC reform process, it is only by searching for areas of agreement through painstaking discussions in the IGN and through sober consultations, mutual accommodation and innovative compromise,” Ambassador Akram said. UNSC has 15 members and 5 of them — US, UK, Russia, China and France — are permanent members, who have veto rights. The 10 elected or non-permanent members are the non-permanent members are Estonia, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Niger, Norway, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam.