ISLAMABAD, Sept 25: Pakistan Muslim League (PML) Secretary- General Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed on Sunday asked the United Nations to increase seats in the Security Council (SC) in order to end monopoly of a few influential countries. Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 10th Management Accounting International Conference, Mr Syed said permanent seats in the Security Council were awarded to nuclear powers whose national installations were considered to be in safe hands.

He said: “Pakistan is also a strong nuclear power having controlled installation, therefore, we qualify for a permanent seat like other countries.”

He said India, Brazil, Japan and Germany were vying for a permanent seat in the Security Council, but “our reservation stood on the point that the Muslim world would be deprived of representation in the Security Council. That is why we are calling for enlargement of the council, he added.

The PML secretary-general said during his visit to the US, President Gen Pervez Musharraf called on his Indian counterpart for discussion on Kashmir issue, during which he declared that in the ongoing peace process, the Kashmiris must be included in dialogue for their representation.

He said the US had shown confidence in Pakistan on the disputed issue and according to the recent report of the 9/11 commission for universal peace, Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia must be empowered for combating terrorism and bringing durable peace.

About the role of Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), he urged the rich countries to cooperate with other states in all activities.

“The elite culture of some Muslim states must be abolished for uniting OIC in real terms,” he added.

“Pakistan has now acquired a prominent position on the world map and the days are gone when the country was underestimated”.

Mr Syed said the parliament was considering passing a legislation called fiscal responsibility and debt limitation law that would strengthen the fiscal discipline and give autonomy to the Central Bank, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and Central Board of Revenue (CBR).

After the bill is passed, he said the relevant institution would work in a professional manner, adding that excessive borrowing would be retained and debt would remain within manageable limit.