NEW YORK, Oct 20: Senate Chairman Mohammedmian Soomro on Tuesday urged the UN General Assembly to evolve a blueprint to prevent non-state actors and terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Addressing a forum of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), Mr Soomoro stressed that such a plan should be created by the UN General Assembly and not the UN Security Council.

"The Security Council is not the representative forum to legislate for the world on this issue, especially since the five permanent members of the Security Council enjoy the right of veto and retain nuclear weapons," Mr Soomro noted.

Underscoring that the "the General Assembly of the United Nations is the most representative and democratic institution of the world", Mr Soomro lamented: "The resolutions it adopts every year including in the area of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, remain unimplemented."

"This dilemma should also be addressed while discussing the issue of democratic oversight of the security sector at a global level," he stressed.

He said: "A global response to address this issue requires the participation of all member states therefore, conclusion of a non-discriminatory treaty, where all states can participate, can effectively address the threat of weapons of mass destruction proliferation falling in the hands of terrorists or non-state actors."

The Senate chairman observed: "Power asymmetries, economic and social disparities and injustices are additional actors as leading to nervousness, consequently, new forms of conflicts have emerged within and beyond national frontiers."

"Asymmetry in power, and wealth, is growing, which is enforcing the tendency of more powerful states to resort to the use of force and the tendency of the weak to respond through asymmetric means," he reflected.

The theme of IPU's session was 'From Disarmament to Lasting Peace: Defining the Parliamentary Role'.

Mr Soomro is heading Pakistan's delegation for the meeting which also includes Senator Ilyas Ahmed Bilour, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Senator Mir Wali Mohammad Badini and Senator Mohammad Amin Dadabhoy.