ISLAMABAD, April 29: Pakistan with the help of other countries evolved a fairer and effective text of UN Resolution on WMDs and ensured that it did not have lacunae, Foreign Office spokesman Masood Khan said here on Thursday.

"Pakistan played a key role in steering the Security Council towards a balanced and sound course of action," Mr Khan said. The spokesman said Pakistan had voted for and supported the resolution because it subscribed to the central objective of the resolution to prevent terrorists and other non-state actors from developing or acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a binding resolution criminalizing the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction by such private parties as terrorists and black marketeers.

He said Pakistan, along with other members of the UN, had some questions and concerns about several legislative, legal and political aspects of the text of the resolution.

He said that through extensive consultations with the co-sponsors of the resolution, the US and the other permanent and non-permanent members of the council, a fairer and more effective text of the resolution has been evolved and as a result retroactive application of the resolution had been excluded.

Mr Khan said the resolution was not designed to oblige states to join treaties to which they were not parties. Adoption and enforcement of the resolution have been subjected to the national procedures, he added.

Pakistan supports the objective of promoting non-proliferation Mr Khan said: "We will continue to cooperate with the international community to promote fair and equitable solution to non-proliferation challenges and fulfil our obligations under CWC and BWC."

He said Pakistan had already taken several measures to ensure stringent export controls, to put in place strong physical security arrangements for its strategic assets, materials and sites. "We are further streamlining and strengthening our export control laws," he said. -APP