LAHORE, Nov 12: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday that balance of power in the region would be disturbed if India became a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Referring to the US support to the Indian bid, he said Pakistan was of the firm view that any unilateral assistance not based on deep thinking would have a deep impact on the peace and stability of the region.

Talking to journalists at the airport, he said Pakistan was not opposing the Indian move for the sake of opposition. Rather it had reasons for doing so.

“Islamabad's opposition is in line with its stance regarding the expansion and reform of the UN,” he said.

The minister said the expansion and reform involved a long and complicated process with groups of countries representing different regions having divergent views in this regard.

Mr Qureshi said the Italian foreign minister had also said at a joint press conference with him on Thursday that the Security Council could not be reformed by merely having more permanent members.

He also urged India to negotiate with Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute.

Mr Qureshi said the issue had also been discussed with China and the two countries had similar views on the matter.